A Shadow's Apprentice
by AFangirlofSorts
Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I love Young Justice and Teen Titans. Those are great DC shows. Artemis was my favorite character so I had to write her a story. And her father was pretty committed to the Shadows, so I wondered what would happen if she and Jade were brought up in them.**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Almost Dazzling Light**

"I cannot enter her mind without causing damage to her," stated the Martian, his tone never changing.

Martian Manhunter, informally known as J'onn J'onzz, could enter a person's mind if he wished at any given time. Only few have ever been able to resist his ability, but eventually they would always break under the invasion. Yet for some reason he didn't know, he could not enter the mind the young girl sitting in the interrogation room behind the thick glass.

"And you've tried everything," questioned the Batman, his focus on the girl behind the glass.

It had only been two hours since she had woken up after being treated for her injuries. Less than twelve hours since she was taken into the custody of League.

J'onn nodded, "I have tried all the methods I know. However, the last method I tried allowed me to briefly see her most recent memory of coming into the cell, only for the connection to be severed, the connection causing pain to her temples."

Batman acknowledged the Martian with a barely noticeable nod, "Our scans showed nothing out of the ordinary, except that she isn't in any system."

"You mean to say we are in the company of someone who does not exist," questioned the Martian, one brow raised.

While he knew of less than a handful of aliens could either resist the Martians mental invasion or not be invaded at all, the fact that this girl had a mental shield while being, for all intents and purposes, human concerned the Batman. Not to mention the fact that she does not exist in any system. No DNA matches, fingerprints, blood or facial recognition could name the girl. Though not the first time he had encountered someone of the sort, it was the first time he encountered a child in this manner.

He studied the girl through the glass. She couldn't be much older than Robin he guessed, young and near the beginning of puberty. Her head was down, blonde hair still covered in soot from the explosion hung loosely over her eyes and around her shoulders in a tattered mess. When she was brought here, she wore a cerulean blue eye mask with white lace on the ends. With the mask removed, her entire face was visible.

The girl lifted her head a moment later, her sharp grey eyes stared at the one sided glass, but she made eye contact with the Batman. She was far from afraid, that much Batman could tell. If he wanted her to talk, he was going to have show her that the Justice league was her best option. He would have to make her very afraid of the circumstances she was in.

* * *

 ** _*Flashback*_**

 _Are you in position?_

The slightly static covered voice said into the girl's right ear. It was early in the morning, nearly two o'clock to be exact, with the moon sitting high above and a dark sky full of twinkling stars. There was nothing spectacular about the evening, if anything it was just another night with another mission that needed to get done. Crouched down on the rooftop behind a large wooden crate was a member of the Shadows, or really a daughter of a member of the Shadows. Her storm cloud eyes scanned the area once more, no one was nearby that she could see and she couldn't hear any footsteps close to her.

"Yes," answered the girl, her voice raspy by design, "I'm in position. Ready when you are."

The static voice replied, _Good. Remember the plan._

The girl on the roof rolled her eyes behind her blue mask, "How could I forget? You've only repeated it a thousand times."

 _I'm serious Alice, we can't afford any slip ups_ , hissed the girl on the other end.

'Alice' huffed, defeated and annoyed, "Yeah whatever. Let's get this over with Cheshire."

The girl had decided she hated her codename the minute after she had finished her first assignment less than a decade ago. Why she listened to her sister instead of following her own idea, she didn't know, but it was too late now. Outside, she was dubbed Alice and it worked out fairly well considering the two girls shared the same hair color, blonde. 'Alice' stood from her crouched position on the roof, she cocked one arrow with rope wrapped around it's end. She took less than a second to aim and a second to pull back.

She let the arrow fly, the string making its usual snap sound in her ear. The arrow stuck into the building, just above one of the windows where Cheshire would no doubt breakthrough in a matter of seconds. It was stupid really. The archer knew she wasn't needed here and that her "partner" could have easily handled this assignment on her own. All Alice had done so far was take out a few men patrolling the area and be on the lookout for any unwelcomed guests. She had already taken care of her real assignment earlier in the day. All the intelligence she gathered was safely packed away in her chest pocket. Wordlessly, she let her fingers rest on the slightly higher part of her chest where the SD card was placed.

This card literally held her life. The information on here would secure her place in the organization she had been raised in, would hopefully insure the pride she desperately wanted despite how sick it made her feel to have. Whenever she did something he approved of, she knew deep down she had done the wrong thing. The red light forced Alice back to the present, followed by the blaring sound of alarms going off. Alice felt cold fear and burning anger go through her.

"You set off an alarm," she hissed through clenched teeth.

 _Wasn't me little sister_ , replied Cheshire, her tone not as sharp as earlier, looks like we have company.

Alice smirked, she'd been itching for a fight all day, "I could have a tea party."

Considering that their codenames were from the child's book and movie, a lot of their codes were reference to the tale as well. A tea party meant a fight was coming, which Alice was excited to get into. Although she wasn't a particularly violent person, she loved to fight whenever she had the chance. It was one of the few places where her wild thoughts would settle down and she could focus on something besides the demons that haunted her days and nights.

 _You aren't ready for this tea party_ , Cheshire said in a somber voice.

Before Alice could open her mouth to reply, the voice in her ear and ever present pain her side broke through the glass window above. Cheshire practically soared down the rope. Alice could just make out her frame using the blinking red lights and the white glow of the moon. Cheshire wore an all black outfit, from her knee boots to the strap keeping her face mask in place. The costume didn't scream Cheshire cat, but Alice never said anything about it considering Cheshire was hardly ever seen by anyone.

Cheshire dropped right in front of her accomplice, but before she could say anything and warn her sister of what was coming, the party had arrived. Through her blue eye mask, Alice saw the Batman fly out the window with his cape lowering him to the ground. Though Alice had seen him up close before, she had never once in her life had to fight him or prepare to fight him. Even though she knew exactly who he was behind the cowl he wore, it did little to ease her racing heart rate. You don't need to fear anyone.

 _Trust your abilities and take them down without hesitating._

Those had been the words of her father, but they were doing little to help her now. And to make matters worse, following the Batman was not one, but two caped heroes who were invulnerable to humans.

"You're kidding me right now," Alice said as Cheshire grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

Three members of the Justice League were here. Not just any three, the Founders or Trinity as they were often dubbed. Alice had to question this as she fired an arrow, when it peaked it surrounded them in a thick cloud of smoke. Why were they here? Why would the essential heads of the heroes club come to this place? What had Cheshire taken to get their attention?

Alice felt a flicker of panic wash over her when she remembered the SD card in her chest pocket. Perhaps that was why they were here. Only they couldn't know she had stolen it and they never cared to help cadmus considering all the awful things they had done. Alice knew she should have gathered more information before she agreed to aid Cheshire. Now she feared that her sister had bitten off more than she could chew and both of them were about to pay the price for it-

* * *

 _ ***Present***_

Hissing, the kind that came from doors that would slide open, brought the girl back to what was going on before her. Despite her usual control over herself, her body flinched when the door opened all the way. It was hardly noticeable, but she figured the dark clothed figure could tell she had done action. Whether from fear or surprise, she didn't know if he could tell the difference. It didn't matter to her. After all, she wasn't afraid of Gotham's Dark Knight. The creature, the vigilante they called Batman.

The girl kept her head down, but she did let her gaze glanced up behind her stray hairs to see the bat dressed hero for a brief moment to see how much information she could gather. The crackling of metal and wood burning echoed in her ears, the events of a few short hours ago present in her mind. The ache in her chest being the most noticeable, even though she had no physical wound there.

She only had a few minor injuries that she could pinpoint, bruising of her ribs and some more scattered all over her body, but that was nothing new. From what she could tell nothing was broken or sprained which was a good sign. No internal damage and no head trauma, or at least it wasn't serious. She may have a slight concussion and a gash on her right temple, which had bandaged and stitched while she was unconscious. Otherwise, the girl felt she was good to go. She lifted her head to look at the Batman, a sly smile spread across her face.

"Aren't you the designated interrogator? Why send in the notorious Boy Scout first then the mind reader," questioned the girl.

She was trying to act careless, but Batman could see it was forced. She may not have appeared scared as far as the Bat could tell, but he knew she was going to unravel. Batman didn't dignify her with an answer to either question. He knew Superman wouldn't get her to crack, but the Kryptonian insisted on trying a friendly approach considering the girl was so young.

"You haven't done anything since we placed you here," he said in a monotone and dark voice, "You escaped your cuffs minutes after they were placed on you, yet you made no move to leave while alone and none of us within your path."

The girl's brow furrowed for a moment, before she schooled her features. She lifted her arms until her hands were resting on the table, the magnetic cuffs in one hand and a… hairpin in the other.

"Maybe I'm waiting for the right moment to leave," said the girl, "or i'm curious about the superheroes club and want to see what you'll do."

"Unlikely, you could have escaped a total of four times since you woke up in the infirmary. So you are still here for a reason," replied Batman, his tone never changing.

The girl narrowed her eyes, "I'm here because you caught me."

"No, you're here because your partner, Cheshire, left you behind," Batman stated matter factly.

There was a flicker of something on the girl's face, it was gone too quickly for the Batman to identify exactly what it was, but he knew he hit a nerve.

"She left you behind and I highly doubt the League of Shadows will come for you, it goes against their policy of 'every man for himself'," Batman told her.

The girl winced at his words. She knew it was true, her options were very limited at this point. Batman had a feeling she was trained in the art of surviving torture and all forms of interrogation, especially when he recalled that the League of Shadows had people within the League of Assassins using their training methods. If he was going to get inside her head, he would have to find a different way to get her to talk.

"I won't betray the shadows," answered the girl.

"Out of loyalty or fear," Batman asked, his eyes never leaving hers, "I'm going to offer you a deal. If you tell us everything we want to know, we will provide protection for you from the Shadows."

Her eyebrow raised in surprise and confusion, he had caught her off guard with that one.

"What makes you think I need protection from them instead of you," she replied harshly.

Batman said nothing, she knew he was right. Though she would never admit it out loud, she had wanted to get away from the Shadows, but she knew that would never happened. However here could be a chance- she instantly cut off her train of thought. The SD card she stole, that would secure her freedom, but within the shadows. Her father would be proud of her, her mother would free, her sister would think she were good enough, she would be initiated into the league. All of her goals would finally be accomplished.

How could she possibly throw that all away?

"Think on it," Batman told her, "No one is going to come for you. You're partner is gone, the Shadows won't come for you per their policy is everyone for themselves and you have nowhere to go, except a prison cell. I would think long and hard about your decision and what you do next."

The girl watched the Bat go, her memories of earlier replaying through her mind.

* * *

 _ ***Flashback***_

The fight had been decent for the two girls, the founders had yet to lay a hand on either of them. Though Cheshire was knocked away by one of the bombs from the Batman, however she was able recover quickly enough to not be deterred. The fight had only just begun, Alice had mentally calculated perhaps they were near two minutes into the fight. There was no denying the Founders of the league, or the trinity as they were so often called, could beat them in a matter of seconds.

This lead to Alice wondering why they hadn't been injured or subdued yet. Although the two girls were doing a great job of using the smoke cover Alice had provided, the heroes should have taken them down by now. So why hadn't they? Alice couldn't wonder for too long. The golden lasso narrowly missed her bow, forcing Alice into action and fire an explosive arrow in it's direction. The low grunt told her she had distracted Wonder Woman for a moment, which was enough for Alice.

 _Alice, I've got plan,_ Cheshire hissed into her ear piece trying to avoid Superman.

"I'd- love to hear it," said Alice back flipping away from Wonder Woman.

Batman had completely vanished into the fog, neither Alice nor Cheshire had a clue as to where he went. Cheshire, though not religious, prayed he stayed away from Alice. Her keen ears barely picked up on the Bats footsteps, as he walked with the light steps that reminded her of Alice. Cheshire threw marbles in his direction, once they picked on his heat signature, they exploded. The smoke wouldn't last long though. With the smoke beginning to fade, Alice was able to make out Cheshire narrowly avoiding the 'attacks' from Superman and her haphazard attack at Batman.

None of the heroes were fighting at full strength or even half strength. Why? The only thing Alice could think of was that the heroes needed the two girls in custody, most likely for questioning or really interrogating. Being momentarily distracted allowed Wonder Woman a chance to get her lasso around Alice's ankle and pulling her down. Alice fell with a gasp, her earpiece coming out. She had moments to get our the lassos hold before she was either captured indefinitely or killed.

"Surrender to us, you will not be harmed if you cooperate," said the female super hero.

Alice fought the urge to scowl. Without a seconds hesitation, Alice threw a disc at Wonder Woman. The hero responded by blocking it, just as Alice knew she would. In the span of a two seconds, Alice had distracted Wonder Woman long enough to throw a dart in Cheshire's direction. The small projectile had a small coating of concentrated Kryptonite which get the Superman to back down from her partner. Her father had insisted that she and Cheshire always have a weapon against each of the heroes at all time.

"I doubt that," hissed Alice calling on her anger at people like the Justice League.

It was because of them that her mother could never walk again and was still in prison. Alice, knowing she had to get away from the hero shot a grappling arrow behind her. Once it connected with the wall, it pulled her away and out of Wonder Woman's grasp. Little did the girl know that this action would cost her, her freedom.

The next few moments happened in a blur. One moment, she was safely away from Wonder Woman only to be attacked by the Batman. The next moment she was forced to the ground by the trembling building and succession of explosions. The final moment left Alice on her stomach underneath fallen debris, her head pounding and ears ringing. The yellow and orange light bounced off the fallen objects and the smoke beginning to fill the world around her.

"Al!"

Alice lifted her head as she pushed herself into a pushup position.

'Jade!'

Alice had shouted in her mind as she stared at her supposed partner through the orange, yellow glow and fallen debris. Jade's expressionless mask faced her, unmoving and uncaring with its sinister smile. Cheshire moved in her direction, maneuvering around the fallen concrete and metal poles in the way. "Hang on, I'm coming!" Alice tried to move to get up, but the rod only a centimeter above her forced her to remain down. She had to crawl or pull herself forward, but she was too stiff and shocked to do anything.

Her father would be disgusted and disappointed in her. A tremor went through the entire building, causing more poles and blocks to fall to the ground between Alice and Cheshire. There was only a small opening that allowed Alice to see Cheshire masks, she wasn't going to make it to her. The words weren't spoken, but Alice could hear them echoing in her mind.

 _In this family, it's every girl for herself._

No sooner had the thought finished in her mind did Cheshire turn around and disappear into the flames and the fog of smoke. The last thing Alice saw before the darkness claimed her, as well as arms, was an almost dazzling light of the fires destroying everything.

 _I failed._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all for the follows, favorites and reviews!**

 **Summary:Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

Chapter Two

Wonder Woman flew under the rails that Superman held allowing her to reach the smaller assassin, though she believed this one was too small to be a killer. Diana had to remind herself not to judge an opponent on size alone. In one swift movement she lifted the blue clothed girl into her arms and flew her out of harm's way while Superman moved to find the other with the Cheshire mask.

As Wonder Woman flew to the javelin, she glanced down at the unconscious girl in her arms. She found that half of her mask had been singed, but luckily the flames hadn't touched her face. It was a shame to see someone so young involved in this, someone who should have had a normal and good life has been as lace to the shadows for who knows how long. The superhero landed on the open ramp of the javelin where Batman was waiting for her.

"Superman is scouting the area for the other one, he will meet us here shortly," said Wonder Woman as she approached the Gotham knight.

Batman replied, "He won't find her. According to the heat scanners, she's gone."

"Perhaps she went underground," suggested the heroine.

Batman didn't deny her claim, "Perhaps."

Wonder Woman placed the girl down on the cot behind the pilot and passengers area. It upset her to see someone so young caught it in something so dark.

"What are the circumstances surrounding this place," asked Wonder woman, "You said we needed to come here because of a growing situation, but you wouldn't tell us what it was, why?"

Batman sighed, "The growing situation involving the facility isn't related to the girl. I considered the Shadows would be here, but not their secret duo."

"A secret duo," inquired the dark haired woman, her interest peaked.

"In a manner of speaking, Cheshire and Alice are two of their top assassins," explained Batman as he turned back to the javelin's computer screen, "Once we're in a secure area I will explain the importance of the facility. In the meantime, our next move needs to get her to another location and have her questioned."

"She should receive medical attention at the WatchTower," said Superman as he landed soundlessly behind Wonder Woman, the Javelin ramp closing after him.

Batman withheld a scowl at the idea of bringing this girl to the watchtower. He figured it would be better to bring her to their nearby holding areas, or even their fake watchtower at the hall of justice. But he knew the superhero meant neither of those places.

"Are you sure that's a good idea," questioned Batman.

Superman raised one eyebrow, "Why wouldn't it be? She needs medical attention and we'll have to ask her questions."

"Yes, but we would be brining a member or in this case junior member of the League of Shadows into our base of operations," stated Batman, his eyes slightly narrowed at the girl behind his cowl.

Wonder Woman folded her arms over her chest, "She'd be under constant guard and won't have an idea as to where the tower is. Not to mention, the chances of her escaping the watchtower become slim to none. Any other place gives her more opportunities to get away."

Superman looked sadly at the girl, "At this moment we don't have a choice, we need information from her as well as to make sure she is alright. She's a kid after all."

Batman barely held back a scowl, "Don't let her appearance fool you. She's an assassin."

"But also a child. She barely looks older than Robin," Superman pointed out, ignoring Batman's glare at the mention of his charge, "Regardless of the risk, she needs to be taken care of. We will question her once she is awake and not in pain."

Batman sighed, "Very well, setting a course for watchtower. Have either of you contacted Arrow?"

"I spoke with him on the way back, he'll meet us at the watchtower," replied Superman as he took a seat behind the gothamite.

"Great."

* * *

Batman briefly reflected on the conversation he had with Clark and Diana earlier, when they had first taken the girl into custody. Though Batman would never show it or admit it, he was a bit concerned for this girl simply because she was so young. Talking with her in the interrogation room, really being able to look at her was a bit unsettling.

He had yet to encounter a criminal of this level under the age of twenty one. Judging by her appearance and structure, he pieced together that she had barely reached puberty. Possibly thirteen if he had to get guess when it came to her age.

"How did it go," questioned Green Arrow, pulling Batman from his thoughts.

The Green Arrow had been briefed on the situation considering this event happened within twenty miles of his city and therefore his jurisdiction as far as the League was concerned. He had been briefed by Superman shortly after they arrived.

"We'll see in time," stated Batman, "Right now the choice is hers. I've offered her deal, she just has to take it."

"Yeah, give information and we give protection, think she'll go for it," Arrow asked, one brow raised.

Batman released a barely audible sigh, "She may be a criminal, but she is still young. She has nowhere to go, but she also has nothing to lose. It could go either way for her."

"What if she decides to stay silent," questioned Arrow, "J'onn couldn't get into her head, she wouldn't tell Clark anything, though no one ever tells him anything in interrogations. You offered her a deal she might not take, what will you do."

"people can be trained to stand against J'onn and there is technology that can interfere with telepathic waves," replied Batman, "If worse comes to worse, Diana will use her lasso. I highly doubt the girl could withstand that."

Arrow nodded, "It's doubtful. How much time are you giving her?"

"Why so curious," fired Batman.

Arrow usually questioned everything, but Batman was not in the mood for it today.

Arrow shrugged, "This happened near my city, my jurisdiction. Clark wouldn't tell me all of it and I know you definitely won't and I haven't run into Diana yet. I want to see how much information I can get now."

Arrow paused, hesitant to bring up his next idea to the Batman who was likely to tell him no. He thought perhaps he could go to speak to the girl, maybe he would be able to get through to her in a way the others couldn't.

The green dressed hero thought of his charge, well would be charge Roy. A wild child, rebel without a cause, but a good heart and decent guy, even if he could be a downright pain in the neck.

Arrow had briefly seen the girl earlier, once in the infirmary and once during her interrogation with Superman. From what he could tell she would be tough to crack, but she wasn't hostile. She may have come across curt or acted cross, even a bit irritated, but she wasn't aggressive.

"What if I-" Arrow started, but was interrupted.

"No," said Batman sharply.

Arrow frowned, "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Batman stopped in his tracks and faced the blond hero, "You were going to ask if you could go speak to her, my answer is no. The only reason you are involved in this incident is because it took place near your city. Otherwise you aren't involved and do not need to speak with her."

Green Arrow folded his arms over his chest, "Really? Why is that? What could be so wrong with talking to her instead of hounding her with questions?"

"You really want me to answer that," Batman remarked dryly.

Arrow rolled his eyes in response, "I'm just saying. Maybe if we just talk to her, she might be more forth coming about stuff."

Batman ordered, "You are not speaking wth her until the matter is settled. I will see her in an hour and if she takes my offer, you'll be there to hear what she has to say. If not, then perhaps during her interrogation with Diana you can see what she has to say."

Batman walked away without another word, leaving Arrow to glower in his place. He released a sigh, he knew what he was going to next instead of spending the next half hour twiddling his thumbs, he would speak to the kid. Arrow walked back in the direction of the kid assassin, he knew Batman would give him grief for this later, but he didn't care. He wanted to speak with this girl to see what he could do.

Little did Green Arrow know that Batman was watching in shadows with a knowing smirk on his face. It had been Diana's idea to send Arrow to speak with the girl because of his experience with getting young silent 'prisoners' to speak. However Batman didn't think that sending Arrow in would work out the way they thought, especially if he had time to prepare.

When the green vigilante had spoken with his charge the first time, it had been because Dinah told him not to. If Oliver had time to prepare something, it wouldn't have the desired effect.

The girl had spent the next twenty minutes thinking over the Batman's offer. It made her sick to her stomach to consider it, to consider betraying the Shadows in order to save herself. There was no loyalty to each other in the shadows, only loyalty to the organization and the cause.

The girl knew she wasn't loyal to the cause, never had been and never would be regardless of how many times her father pushed her. It didn't matter, she couldn't change her idea. It was just better to pretend she agreed, to the play the part and avoid getting hurt for thinking otherwise.

She leaned back in the silver chair, her eyes looked towards the door again before returning her gaze to the table. Batman had given her a fair deal. If she took it, she would be done with the Shadows, she would be free from her father. Yet the idea frightened her and made her angry.

He was her father, she wanted him to be proud of her, she wanted her father, her mother and sister to be proud of her. If she could get away from the League and give the card to the Shadows, she would become an official member and earn her place in the organization she was raised in. However she had to wonder, was it worth it to stay in the League of Shadows?

This wasn't the first time she had had these doubts, but it was the first time she let herself linger in them. She figured that was something the Batman had wanted her to do, to doubt her loyalty and seriously consider his offer. Her first instinct was to scoff at the idea, yet the longer she sat alone in the cell the more her doubts continued to eat at her.

The door opened again, the girl suspected that it was the Batman, but the footsteps were too heavy to be him. She barely lifted her head to see the forest green attire of the modern day Robin Hood. A man they called Green Arrow or just Arrow, a once vigilante now hero who resides in Star City. The girl briefly recalled that she had been near Star City with Cheshire the previous night.

"Hey," Arrow said taking a seat in the chair in front of her, "names Green Arrow or Arrow if you prefer. What's your name?"

The girl just stared at him with unblinking grey eyes, trying to understand what kind of game this hero would play. Judging from his demeanor, she guessed that he was going to try and be a friend to her in the way Superman had attempted. Though he tried a more adult to lost child approach which she hadn't appreciated in the least.

"Not telling. Why are you here," asked the girl, "Superman tried to be my friend already, the Martian wanted to get in my head, but couldn't and Batman already gave me my choices. I already told him that I won't betray the Shadows."

Arrow nodded in understanding, "Superman did mention you were part of the League of Shadows. Those guys have been causing more and more trouble as the years go by. However I didn't expect that they would recruit children, you can't be older than 13."

The girl didn't take the bait, her eyes narrowed, "If you're trying to get me to reveal stuff through conversation, it won't work."

"Worth a shot," said Arrow with a shrug of his shoulders, "Can't blame a guy for trying."

'Alice' stared at him, her expression the epiphany of annoyance and displeasure. Though she admitted in her mind that this hero seemed the most human, which was true considering he was all human. Batman was all human as well, but even she could tell that the aura of darkness he presented was inside of him as well.

Seeing her change in expression, Arrow started to speak again, "Look, I understand wanting to be loyal and all that's great, however what do you think that will do for you? Will the Shadows come for you? Do they even know you're alive? What will keeping their secrets accomplish? Cause the way I see it, you don't owe them any favors."

"I owe the Shadows everything, you know nothing," replied 'Alice' sharply, though she didn't believe that.

Those were the words of her father after all.

Arrow raised an eyebrow, "Really? You think you owe those guys anything? How? What have they ever done for you that is worth you, I mean really worth your help?"

Nothing, that was the answer she had and the answer he knew. The girl didn't answer him and Arrow could practically see the gears turning in her mind as she tried to come up with a good response. Deep down she knew there wasn't one. He knew it as well.

"Why do you want to keep their secrets," Arrow asked her, pressing her just a bit more.

"Why do you care," hissed the girl.

Arrow raised his arms in surrender, "I'm just trying to understand your point of view is all. If I were in your shoes and I knew no one was coming for me, I would say 'screw them' and get some revenge by spilling their secrets."

"They'd kill me," said the girl, her expression showed a flicker of panic.

"Unless they think you're already dead," Arrow pointed out to her, "You could cut all ties with the Shadows. You could start over, be whoever you wanted to be. You could be the master of your own fate."

"How do you know I'm not the master of my own fate," the girl asked, leaning forward slightly.

Arrow offered her a small smile, "I've seen the same look in many eyes. Of wanting to take control, but being forced to do something they don't to. It's an almost frenzied look."

"You get all that from my eyes," questioned the girl.

"No, just my amazing deductive skills," replied Arrow with a grin.

This caused the girl to show a very small smile, but she said nothing in return.

"I think you could get away from them shadow girl," said Arrow gently, "We could protect you from them, we could give you a whole new identity and a chance to go wherever you want."

In spite of herself, Alice considered his words. She wanted to escape the shadows, she had wanted to escape them ever since her first kill. She knew it was impossible though and soon forgot about the desire.

Yet here the opportunity presented itself where she could've free, but she was too afraid to take it. Too afraid her father would find her, then he would end her to re-education and she would never be the same.

Arrow could tell by the furrow of her brow and softness of her eyes that she was considering his words carefully. He saw a lot of his charge in this girl, even after only being with her for a couple of minutes. There was hope for her, there was something more for her. He would help her in whatever way he could, he just hoped it would be enough.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes and deciding it would be better to leave now before the Batman dragged him out of here, he said, "Well I'll see you later shadow girl."

The green dresses hero stood up from his chair and walked to the door.

The door hissed open when the girl spoke, stopping Arrow in his tracks, "It's Artemis."

Arrow turned around to look at her, "What did you say?"

"My name," said the girl, "You asked. It's Artemis, Artemis Crock...If I tell you everything I know, will you promise to keep me away from the shadows? That I could get away from, and not in prison cell."

"You have my word," said Arrow with a grin.

Artemis didn't return his expression, instead she stared at the table. She couldn't turn back now, she had to see this through if she was ever going to get away from it all.

She took a breath, "Thank you. Guess I can start with I know a majority of League's secret identities, including yours Oliver Queen."

Arrows eyes widened behind his mask in stunned horror, "How do-"

"It's a long story. I believe your colleagues would like to know," interrupted Artemis, her back straightening with newfound confidence, "Tell Mr Wayne that I'm accepting his offer."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Green Arrow was still reeling with the fact that this girl, who's name was Artemis and would turn thirteen in another two months, knew the identities of just about every leaguer. In the interrogation room stood Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Green Arrow and J'onn. Green Arrow studied Artemis, her shoulders had slumped slightly under the heavy stares and he could tell she was having doubts about this. To his surprise, she glanced at him with a question in her eyes. Arrow nodded to her encouragingly, the action surprising him. Artemis swallowed her fears and doubts.

"I accept your offer under one condition," said the young girl.

"What condition is that," questioned Batman darkly.

Artemis narrowed her eyes, "Give me your word Bruce Wayne that if I tell you what I know, you will keep this bargain of a new life and the condition I have."

No one reacted vocally to her use of his real name, but Artemis could tell they were all surprised. Except Arrow, he had heard her list off several league members before the others had arrived. Having all their names was definitely her base of leverage, but she knew it had to be mentioned first. It was meant to be a 'good show of faith' and that knew more than they would have bargained for. It might put her in a hole, but she could get out of any hole.

"Very well," said the Batman.

Wonder Woman went on, "Tell us what it is you want in return for your information."

"I won't say the condition yet," said Artemis, "I'll answer whatever questions you have that won't get someone I care about killed and as long as you keep your promise."

"We will," said Superman.

"Tell us what you know," ordered Batman.

Wonder Woman glared at him for the tone, but would say something to him about it later. Now was not the time.

Artemis leaned back in her chair, "What do you want to know?"

"How about you start with your identity and why you aren't in any system on the globe," Superman suggested.

Artemis squirmed slightly in her seat, "Okay. My name is Artemis Crock, I don't have a middle name. My father is… Sportsmaster and my mother was Huntress. Cheshire, is my older sister Jade. My father wanted us to disappear and that was what we did. He had a friend of his delete us from existence, fingerprints, DNA, eye scans, all of it gone without a trace. According to any and all documentation or scans of any kind, we don't exist."

"How long have you been involved with the shadows," Wonder Woman asked.

"Since I was conceived," answered Artemis with a shrug, "From the moment I could crawl, I was being brought up in the shadows. Jade likes to say we were raised in the darkness of shadows, yet we serve the light. That means we served the… council if you will over the shadows. Different organization that I didn't have clearance for."

"Tell us what you and Cheshire were doing at the facility the previous night," demanded Batman.

Artemis felt a pang of guilt and sorrow at the mention of Cheshire. The wound she felt from her sister leaving her behind was still fresh. Not to mention she felt guilty for saying any of this. While Green Arrow had been right in saying she did not owe the Shadows anything, she still felt like a traitor to everything that she stood for. Or really, what she had been raised in.

"I honestly don't know," answered Artemis, "She wouldn't tell me what she was doing, only that it was important. Something about retrieving some files I think."

"What about your most recent excursion, you were spotted at a Cadmus laboratory," questioned Batman, peaking the interest of Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter.

Artemis stared at Batman for a moment, her lips parted open and her eyes shimmered for a few brief seconds before she composed herself. She visibly swallowed as she remembered her last mission where she was able to learn the identities of every league member and gather a list of their relatives and primary weaknesses. If she gave them the card that still sat in her chest pocket, her only leverage and her only chance to remain in good graces with the League of Shadows would be lost. Never to be within her reach again.

"We have a deal," Batman reminded in a gruff voice, his eyes narrowing bat her.

"Easy Bats," said Arrow, his own eyes narrowing at the dark clothed hero.

Artemis took a breath, "I went to cadmus to gather data."

"On what," asked Wonder Woman.

Artemis looked at the heroine, "On you. All of you… There were rumors that Cadmus had files on every member of the Justice League. My mission was to be a scout more or less to report back if the rumor was true… I-I-I uh, I uh went to cadmus and downloaded any and all files related to your League. I didn't destroy the lab, they were having issues of their own and it exploded when I left, I swear. I only went there with minimal equipment. I returned to my hideout where I went through all the files to learn your identities and known weaknesses."

"How many do you know," asked the Martian who had remained silent throughout the questioning.

Artemis glanced st him, "Just about everyone here who has a secret identity. Billionaire playboys, the historian from Themyscira, how about the reporter from Kansas? Or perhaps you'd rather I talk about the forensic speedster? Maybe the detectives in Gateway city? The acrobatic boy or the Atlantean apprentice, the street kid archer. You name it, I know them."

The air in the room chilled slightly. No one would say anything about it now, but they were all thinking about the potential danger this girl possessed with her knowledge of their secret lives. The threat she posed had now risen in their minds.

Artemis leaned forward, "I know all of your secrets and who you keep close to you. My telling you this isn't meant for you to lock me away, but as a show of good faith. Your names are my best weapon at this moment and since I'm stuck on your space station, using it as blackmail won't work out very well."

"Where are the files," asked Superman, "Do you still have them?"

The assassin nodded. Artemis moved her arm and reached into her chest pocket where the card was hidden. It felt heavy and hot in her fingers as she removed it from it's hiding place. Part of her couldn't help, but to regret her decision. The voice of her father was berating her for her weakness, for giving into them so quickly, for turning her back on her parents and sister. Yet deep down Artemis knew it had to be this way.

Jade left her behind, her father would disown her the moment she was no longer beneficial to the cause and her mother… Artemis liked to think her mother would be happy with her choice to leave the Shadows. Artemis remembered the last time she had spoken with her mother through a glass wall and telephone.

 _I never wanted this for you and Jade_ , her mother had muttered to herself, but Artemis had heard her anyway. Artemis had been so young at the time, maybe six years old and her sister around the age of eleven or twelve.

"This card has all of your information on it, or what information Cadmus had on you," Artemis told them as she placed it on the table, "I don't know how many copies they have, but once i downloaded the information a virus was placed on the files. It's likely any other copies they might possess will be more difficult to access."

Batman took the card off the table, he briefly inspected it before slipping it into his belt of tools. Artemis remembered hearing a member of the middle circle saying that Batman kept a piece of kryptonite on him at all times. She wondered which one it was and if the Kryptonian could tell it was on his supposed friend and colleague.

"What are the shadows planning, they're gathering allies and supplies," Superman said, his arms folded over his chest.

Artemis inhaled, "I-I can't really say."

"If you can't tell us everything we want to know, the deal's off," Batman informed her, his gaze behind the cowl darkening.

"I said I would tell you everything I knew as long as you kept your word and it wouldn't get someone I care about killed," replied Artemis with a slight frown, "My sister is still involved in this."

The image of Cheshire turning away and leaving her behind floated in Artemis' mind, she swallowed her sorrows. Even though it hurt Artemis, she honestly wasn't surprised that Jade had left her. Jade had tried to leave her behind once before, but had been stopped by her father years ago. Jade fully intended to leave her and her father behind. Artemis knew that she couldn't ever truly rely on her sister, in this family, in this life, it was everyone for themselves. It didn't mean she loved her any less though, just harder to count on and trust.

Artemis looked at the heroes, "I won't let her be killed, I can't tell you without risking her life."

"What can you tell us about it," Superman asked gently, "Any information you can spare."

Artemis frowned, "I-I… I can't."

Batman spoke next, "You agreed to tell us everything we want to know, we want to know what they are planning next in order to prevent any lives being lost."

"It doesn't involve civilians," said Artemis vaguely, "It takes place in a desert, close to Egypt. That's all I can say."

Arrow walked to stand by Artemis. They had talked for the better part of an hour before Arrow had left to speak with Batman, who then called the others. Arrow had convinced Artemis that she could say whatever she wanted and it would be okay, that the shadows would never know. It wasn't enough. The girl was still terrified that the shadows would learn that she spilled their secrets, then they would come for her.

Arrow had been surprised with how much Artemis had shared with him, he didn't know how much of it was true, but he had a feeling she told him no lie. Artemis had been more stunned the hero with how much she had revealed to him.

"They can't get to you here," Arrow told her firmly, "Once we finish here, you'll have the Justice League in front of you. They will never get your hands on you again."

Artemis shook her head, "That's not true. You won't be able to protect me from them forever. They'll find me, they'll know I betrayed them and send me to re-education."

"We will protect you at all costs Artemis," said Wonder Woman, "but you must be honest with us, tell us what we need to know."

Artemis bit her lip hard, she tasted metal on her tongue. Though she was never one to give into fear, she remembered her one session in re-education. After Jade had pulled a stunt, their father brought them to re-education for a day. Artemis had been trained to withstand all physical torture as a child, even some psychological torture tactics as well. However what she had witnessed there would break her. It would have broken Jade as well, that was the real reason she stayed. Because if she was found, she would be sent to re-education for a term instead of a day.

"I'm afraid of them, they are downright terrifying people who know how to hurt you in every way you fear," Artemis said matter of factly.

Batman had made a mental note of how she said this. That she didn't sound like a scared child, rather like any other person who was merely stating a fact. As if she were saying the sky is blue. As if it wasn't very serious, but still true.

"If you can give us what we want, we can return the favor to you, but you have to tell us everything we need to know," Batman said simply.

Artemis stared at the Gotham knight, "If you can give me my condition, if you can guarantee you will do me this favor, I won't hold anything back."

None of the heroes knew what she was going to ask of them, they weren't certain that they could keep it either. The only one who knew what Artemis wanted was Arrow. She had told him before he left to gather the others what she wanted more than anything else.

"What is your condition," asked Superman.

Artemis glanced at Green Arrow quickly. She chided herself for looking for his approval or wanting his support at all, but he was the only one she was beginning to trust. He was believable, he offered her something she couldn't ignore. Arrow would be the one to help her, he would be the one to aid her through this. He had to.

The green hero nodded slightly to her. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, he was pleased and surprised to see that he had gained the girl's trust. If only a small bit. He had gained her trust and he would be sure to make good use of that, for her.

"I want to see my mother."

* * *

It was not uncommon for Sportsmaster to break something when he was angered. Jade knew this well, her father was never in control of his emotions unless he had to be. When she returned from the fight with the Trinity without Artemis, she came straight to his office and interrupted his meeting.

On any other day, he would have screamed at her for having the audacity to disrupt his meeting. However he didn't today because she said four words that sent dread into his chest where his heart should be.

 _Baby girl is gone._

Hours had passed, several painstaking hours had gone by with no sign of the young assassin. Jade had come to inform her father of the potential loss and he responded by sending some agents to search the area for his missing child. There was nothing. The building was left in ruins, covered in layers and layers of ash and cinder.

Jade remembered leaving Artemis, she remembered turning away from her collapsed sister. She didn't plan to leave her. She meant to go around. Going through the debris and fire was not an option, she had to find another way to her sister. Yet before she could get back around, explosions went off around the faculty and Jade was thrown into the forest. She knew she probably had a concussion and broke her arm, but that hadn't mattered. The facility was on fire, the three heroes out of sight and her sister nowhere to be found.

"It's been fourteen hours and they haven't found anything," growled Sportsmaster as he picked up his mug.

He gripped it tightly in his hand. Even though his face was hidden behind a hockey mask, Jade could just barely make out his grey eyes that were ablaze with anger. The mug shattered in his palm seconds later causing Jade to grimace behind her own mask. Her closed hand behind her back burned.

Jade had returned to the sight with the agents and dug around, hoping and praying that she wouldn't find Artemis' dead body. That either she would find her sister unconscious or Artemis would walk up to them, covered in ashes and maybe a couple burns. The fires had been put out by the firefighters and the police were digging around. All that was left was debris and ashes.

But Jade did find something. Artemis' necklace. The necklace their mother had gotten her when she was born. It was a silver chain with a silver arrow on, the name 'Artemis' engraved on the back in calligraphy. Artemis never took of the necklace. It was always in her person. Seeing the necklace without the wearer sen fear into Jade, fear she didn't know she was capable of feeling. Could Artemis really be… dead? Her sister was only human, she was only a child.

"I found her necklace," said Jade softly, "Her arrow necklace. I found it in the wreckage."

Sportsmaster snapped his head to look at her, "What?"

Even though Sportsmaster hardly paid attention to his children the way a father should, he knew Artemis cherished that necklace. It was the one thing he had allowed her to keep, the one item that was hers, the one item she had that connected her to her mother. Jade held the necklace out to her father. The silver was covered in smeared soot, but it was easy to see it was Artemis' necklace.

If her necklace was here, it meant one of two things. Artemis left it behind as a clue to find her or she was dead. I'll never part with this necklace, not until the day I die. And not even then. I'll never take it off Mom, I promise. Jade wanted to believe that Artemis was alive, but she wasn't sure.

Sportsmaster moved to stand in front of his eldest daughter. He looked at the necklace in her hand, his chest aching in a way he didn't like. That was his daughter's necklace. He knew she would rather die than part with the necklace, he had seen her tear agents apart when they stole it from her. He had been very proud of her that day, how well she fought and how she fought without mercy. To see the necklace alone…. it sent the worst idea into his mind. His youngest daughter, the only true heir to the shadows was lost.

"This is hardly proof that she's gone," Sportsmaster stated, "Wherever she is, we'll find her. I bet those so called heroes took her in for questioning."

Jade clenched her fingers around the necklace, "And If you're wrong?"

"Then we'll kill whoever was the one who took her breath. She's the heir to the shadows, we cannot afford to lose her."

If it had been any other day, she would have made a remark about how she was older one, but today wasn't normal. Artemis had been made the true heir of the shadows after the death of Black Manta's son, Artemis was given the sole inheritance. Jade had been cut out off the inheritance of the shadows due to her lack of progression and unwillingness to give to the cause.

Her re-education had backfired, it only strengthened her resolve to fight against the shadows because she simply didn't want to be tied down. She'd much rather do things her own way. Jade hated herself for this, but she found herself hoping Artemis was dead. After all, if Artemis was truly gone, she would never have to suffer at his hands or anyone else's again. Jade looked away from her father, now or never.

"The police and our agents are looking for traces of dna. If they find hers-"

"They won't, she's alive," Sportsmaster interrupted.

Jade glared at him, "If they find hers, what will we do?"

Sportsmaster inhaled sharply, "We will make those heroes suffer. They will beg for death."

Jade despised her father, but for the first time in years, she felt a flicker of respect for this man. Jade opened her mouth to say something, but halted when the door to Sportsmasters office opened. A man with dark skin and shaved black hair stood there, dressed in all dark metal armor and his helmet not on his person. Black Manta.

"Manta," Sportsmaster greeted curtly, "What do you want?"

"Sportsmaster, Cheshire," said Manta, "I'm here to give you an update on the search. The facility had been empty for the night, a few guards on duty were injured, but otherwise fine and had seen nothing. Alice is…"

 _No_ , Jade screamed in her mind as horror washed over her, _No! Don't say. Don't you say it!_

"There had been one body recovered, it was charred and covered in burns- the DNA they salvaged was a match," Manta said solemnly, "I'm sorry for your loss."

 _Liar! Artemis isn't gone! She can't be, she-she can't-_

Jade couldn't believe her ears, nor could she believe how much her chest began to ache or how tight her stomach felt. Her little sister, dead. The two had never been very close, but Jade and Artemis had their moments of love and support. The two were more devoted to each other than anything else.

Jade knew if she could, she would leave the League and take Artemis with her. She nearly had once, but it ended with her going to re-education (again) and Artemis spending that summer with the League of Assassins. It wasn't bad Jade. I surprisingly enjoyed myself, you wouldn't believe the stuff I learn there. Sportsmaster took a slight step back, as if Manta had physically pushed him back.

"No," Sportsmaster said in anger and disbelief, "No. No. No! That's not her body. Show me the body. It's not hers, it can't be hers."

Jade gripped Artemis's necklace tighter in her hand, the pendant and chain leaving an indent in her palm.

"It is a match," said Manta somberly, "I can bring you both to see her if that will prove it to you, but it's gruesome. Hardly recognizable. The council believed it would be better not to show either of you."

"Show us," demanded Sportsmaster, his voice loud and clipped.

Jade forced herself not to flinch at the tone. Despite it all, Jade was terrified of her father. Though she did her best not to show it and would never admit it to anyone, but her younger sister, she was afraid of him. Manta nodded wordlessly. Jade followed Manta and her father out of the room down the endless halls of the compound. Several agonizing minutes later Jade and Sportsmaster found themselves standing before a glass window.

Through the window they could see the scientist standing around the charred body that had been recovered from the wreckage. Jade jumped back, as if she had been shocked by the sight. Even though she had seen much worse than this, those were all strangers. This was her sister. The figure wasn't recognizable as Artemis, there was too much damage. The only thing that caused Jade to believe that was her sister… was the remains of her once blue mask. Sportmaster struggles not to release a cry of anger as he slammed his fist into the wall. The sound causing the scientists inside to jump.

"They will pay for this," growled Sportsmaster as he pulled his arm back from the giant hole he created, "They will all pay for this."

Without saying anything, Jade turned sharply on her heels. Her father called after her, but she couldn't hear him. At first she was walking fast, then she was jogging and before she knew it, she was sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her. Her baby sister was gone.

 _"Look Jade, this is your sister," said her mother as she angled the newborn so Jade could see her better. Jade stood on the right side of her mother, her father had a hand on her shoulder as she stared at the newborn_.

Jade raced out of the building, her hair whipping around her shoulders. Her heart pounding harder and faster in her chest, each beat aching more than the last.

" _I guess she's kind of cute," Jade said indifferently, even though the little pink human before her looked more like an alien, "What are you going to name her?" "That's what we wanted to ask you little girl," said her father as he kneeled besides her, "What should baby girl's name be?"_

Along the way, Jade had discarded her Cheshire Cat mask, her weapons were thrown off of her. One by one, she removed her weapons, leaving a trail behind her. She needed to get rid of them so they wouldn't weigh her down, so she could run as fast as the wind.

 _Jade glanced at her father then back at the baby who had a small crown of blonde hair. The seven year old girl thought for several moments, wondering what name would fit and what name the baby looked like._

 _"She needs a unique name, something not many people have," Jade decided, hands on her hips._

 _"Such as," prompted her mother with a weak smile._

 _Jade knew her mother was exhausted, after all she did just give birth to this baby. The baby girl was maybe an hour old, maybe._

The world spun out of control around Jade. Her mind processed she had tripped only after the fact. A bit shaky, she pushed herself onto her knees, her breathing ragged and shallow. Her chest felt tight, constrained and she felt a sob itching to get out, but she clamped her mouth shut.

 _"I want her name to be Alice from the book, but I know too many Alice's so that's out," Jade said dejectedly, "I say… Artemis, like the Greek goddess of the hunt."_

 _Her mother's smile widened, "I love it."_

 _"Nice choice little girl," said her father with a slight grin._

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, her breath hitched as she struggled to keep the cries at bay. She did not cry. She would not cry.

 _Jade nodded in approval then looked into the storm clouds eyes of her sister, "Welcome to the world, Artemis."_

For the first time in years, Jade let tears falls from her eyes as the pain of losing the one person she was certain she loved drowned her. Her ragged sobs filled the once quiet forest, each sob filled with pain and anger.

"Artemis!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Green Arrow stared at the girl through the glass with his colleagues on his right as they discussed what to do with her. The agreement was that she would be under the League's protection in exchange for any and all information she possesses. The first part of the questioning had gone well enough, now if they wanted specifics they would need to give her what she wanted.

She agreed she would hold nothing back if the justice League could do this one service for her. It was a simple request, one that would be fairly easy to acquire for her. She wanted to visit her mother, to be in the same room with the woman without any glass separating them.

The Justice League would get her that meeting, but not today. In the meantime, the heroes needed to decide what to do with her. Arrow was adamant on her hiding in plain sight, given a new identity and everything.

Superman agreed with him, but Batman was a hesitant about the idea. While he had explained to them that the League of Shadows would believe Artemis dead, he wasn't sold on the idea of giving her a fresh start yet.

She hadn't told them enough information, she had skirted their questions and it was quite possible that she was merely doing so because she didn't have the answers they needed and just wanted to wait until she could strike. Though Batman did doubt this, it didn't hurt for him to be cautious.

Diana and J'onn were not sure which would be better. Diana wanted to help the girl, but she had to remind herself that the girl could not simply be allowed to roam free. Especially considering that she knew the League's most valuable secrets, their names.

"Leaving her in any secure faculty or even here is ineffective and won't give her any reason to keep her end of the bargain," argued Superman.

Batman replied sharply, "She already isn't coming forth with the information. She isn't giving us all we need to know."

"She gave us the SD card, not to mention she has made the deal to tell us all she knows if we give her a meeting with her mother," Wonder Woman added, she was leaning against the wall perpendicular to Arrow.

J'onn frowned, "Unless she plans to get inside the faculty to try and free her mother."

"It is a possibility," admitted Wonder Woman.

"We'd be watching her the entire time, she wouldn't get away," Superman said confidently.

Arrow spoke next, "We'll make sure she won't be able to escape while there. Besides Bats has that fancy bracelet that will ensure she can't do anything."

J'onn nodded, "That would keep her contained and if she did try to get away, we would be able to find her before she could return to the Shadows or release our information."

Batman nodded, "Alright. We'll just have to watch her carefully if we go there. Next order of business is what to do with her once she's told us everything."

"It is too dangerous to allow her to go free," J'onn supplies knowingly.

All the heroes agreed with him.

"She could remain in a secure facility, she would be hidden, safe and have no access to anything which would make sure our secrets remain just that, secrets," offered Batman even though he knew he would not receive a lot of support.

"That seems extreme," commented Superman, "I think Arrow is right. She should receive a new identity and hidden in plain sight."

"That raises the risk of the Shadows finding her," Wonder Woman said a bit begrudgingly.

Although she wanted the young girl to start her life over, she knew that leaving her out in the open would increase her chances of being caught. It was now the Justice League's mission to protect her, they just needed to do so that would make it easiest and effective.

"Locking her away isn't the answer," Arrow said sharply, "She should stay with one of us, or someone in the league. This way she'd be under constant supervision along with Batman's bracelet."

Batman raised an eyebrow behind his cowl, "Let me guess, you want to be the one to take her?"

Arrow nodded silently.

Wonder Woman spoke next, "That would work out well. She seems to trust him the most and he was the one who she revealed her name to."

"Not to mention, Dinah and Roy would be there with me watching over her," added Arrow.

Batman replied tersely, "You think you'd be able to keep her contained? That she wouldn't run away the first chance she got?"

"As I said, we'd be watching her and, as I have said before, she would have your bracelet," answered Arrow simply.

Superman released a sigh, "Another thing to consider is that if the media knew you have taken in a child, her face would be everywhere. The shadows would recognize her."

"If she remains with you, she would need to be kept hidden away for a time," Wonder Woman said, "otherwise they will come for her."

The girl in question had entered the room at this point. Even though she had been standing in the hallway for part of the conversation, she hadn't made her appearance known.

Her leaving the interrogation room was meant to show that she would not be contained easily and that she wanted to know what they were saying. She hated to be the center of the discussion and not know what exactly they were saying.

"Only my father and sister would recognize me," said Artemis as she walked further inside, "If you get me to see my mother, then she would to. Though she hasn't seen me in years so she may not recognize me at all."

Artemis found herself reaching up to feel the space where her necklace once was. Waking up without it had nearly sent her into hysteria. She loved that necklace, it was her most prized position after her bow and arrows. She knew that if it was found by the Shadows, that would solidify her death for Jade and maybe her father. She lowered her hand a bit dejected.

Taking a quick breath, she went on, "The rest of the Shadows on the other hand hasn't seen my actual face since I was six or seven. They're fairly big on being apart of the Shadows. It also works as a form of insurance so that if we were ever caught, we could never identify anyone or give real names."

Superman raised an eyebrow at her and gestured to the interrogation room she had been in moments ago, "When did you get out of there?"

"Irrelevant," said Batman, " Are you certain that no one would recognize you from the shadows aside from your relatives?"

Artemis nodded, but then paused, "Yes. Only those two have seen my face without a mask. At least in the shadows. There are a few others who had seen my face, but they aren't in the Shadows. They fall under the League of Assassins."

Arrow tried not to growl, he has enough experience and anger where the assassins were involved. He remarked dryly, "Of course the Assassins are involved with this."

"The chances of them doing anything are slim," said Artemis, "Odds are they could see me and think I am doing some mission. Besides, it's statistically proven that there are seven other people on the world who look exactly like you."

"We'll still have to wait awhile before your image gets released to the public," Arrow said, "It'd be to suspicious if you show up on the news after dying in their eyes. How'd you pull that off anyway Bats?"

"Unimportant," said Batman, but Artemis's interest was peaked, "I will start to work in your new identity, but you will not be revealed until we deem it is appropriate and enough time has passed."

Artemis nodded, "So what are the rules?"

Batman inwardly smirked, but he said as cold as ever, "You will remain with Arrow and his family. While there you will be constantly under surveillance in Arrow's house, under the guard of Red, the Canaries or Arrow himself. You will always wear a monitoring (monetary) bracelet that will track your every move, report your vitals and block your access to anything we think you should not use. You will do everything Arrow tells you to do and listen to him. While it is his job to keep you contained it will also be his job to protect you from any and all harm."

Batman paused, "Should you break any rules that have been set in anyway, go directly against what we have put in place, the offer begins to end. Two chances. If the first is loss, you receive less freedom and stricter regulations. If you fail to stay in line or atone for your offense, all privileges allotted to you will be taken away. You will be relocated and locked away until we say otherwise. Is that understood?"

All the heroes watched the young girl, observing and analyzing her every move to gage how she would respond.

Artemis took a slight breath, "Yes. I understand."

"Do you accept," Batman asked next.

Artemis frowned, "Will you still let me see my mother? Will you still take me to see her?"

Wonder Woman answered her, "In order for us to bring you to her, you must earn our trust."

"If we know that you will not betray us or try to run away then we will allow you to see her," Superman added gently.

Despite herself, Artemis let her shoulders fall to show her disappointment. It had been so long since she last saw her mother. She had told her mother goodbye through a glass wall and had not been allowed to see her since.

Even with her disappointment, she understood why they were doing it this way. Though she desperately wanted to see her mother one more time, she would wait until the Justice League said it was okay. For now, they controlled her fate.

"Do you accept," Batman repeated.

Artemis squared her shoulders, "I accept."

"Good," Batman stated, "in the meantime you will remain here and we will prepare you a room to stay in while we create your new identity. While you remain on the Watch Tower you will remain in your quarters or a member of the league will always be escorting you places."

"Okay," Artemis said with a nod, then added after a pause, "I suppose I should thank you for this."

"Not necessary, we're glad we could help," said Superman with a soft smile.

"Wonder Woman will show you to where you'll be staying for their couple of days," Batman said ignoring the raised eyebrow from Arrow.

Artemis didn't say anything. She briefly glanced at Arrow, a silent question. Soon he would become her guardian, her protector, so why was he not tasked with escorting her now?

"This way," Wonder Woman said moving towards he door.

Only half hesitant, Artemis followed the heroine out of the room, leaving Jonn, Superman, Arrow and Batman.

"Alright next order of business," Superman started, "Arrow, you'll return to Star City and start preparing for her arrival. Bruce will take care of her identity."

Arrow nodded then sighed, "Yeah, I have to explain this to Dinah and Roy. I'll be back later on to check on Artemis, maybe one of them will join me."

* * *

Oliver had told his wife and charge about why he had been at the Watch Tower for so long without any word of what was happening. Dinah had taken the news well enough, she was more concerned about the fact that a twelve or thirteen year old girl knew the secret identities of everyone in the League.

The idea was a bit terrifying, a child held the safety of more than a hundred lives in her hands,the heroes and the people they loved depended on her staying quiet. Roy reacted angrily, he didn't understand why the kid was still on the watch tower and not taken to prison or sent somewhere else.

The teenager was never one for sympathy, but even Oliver had to be disappointed with him for not caring about this kid in the least. Oliver knew that Roy was not going to be happy about what he was about say next.

"There's more," said Oliver a bit grim, "She's going to remain on the watch tower for a couple of days. By the end of the week, she will be moving here."

"What," Roy shouted, "Here? You have to be kidding me. Why?"

Dinah stood from her seat at the counter, "I'm with Roy on this. Why here?"

Oliver sighed, "I Offered to take her instead of sending her away."

Roy all but growled, "Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because she's just a kid," Oliver answered.

Roy rolled his eyes, "A kid assassin who has the power to bring the League to its knees if she wanted to. Some kid who probably has plenty of blood on her hands. Who knows the awful things she's done."

Oliver narrowed his eyes, "You know I seem to remember taking in a child who had done things he wasn't proud of, who did some bad things because he didn't have a choice."

Roy glared at Oliver. The teen knew exactly what the green crusader was referring to and felt hot anger face through him. How dare he compare his past to that of an assassin? Someone who killed for a living is worse than a child who lived on the streets. Roy opened his mouth to respond, but Dinah intervened.

"What's done is done, she's coming here," Dinah said sharply, "We'll just have to watch her closely until we know she's not a threat. What do you need from us?"

Oliver glanced at Roy, waiting for him to deny Dinah's answer, to say he won't help. However he had a feeling that Roy wouldn't say anything. Dinah could be downright terrifying with or without her meta abilities.

Roy folded his arms over his chest and huffed, "Whatever. As long as she stays away from me, I'll help."

"You're Helping anyway," Dinah said.

Roy rolled his eyes, but made no comment. He knew he would have no choice in helping the kid because Dinah wouldn't let him get away that easily. She never would. It was a reason he valued her, she never made it easy for him.

Life wasn't about taking the easy way out, she was the one to teach him that lesson. A lesson he was grateful for, even if he would never say that out loud to her she knew it was true.

"Where do we start," Dinah asked, ready to get to work.

Oliver smiled with relief, "I put money on a card, you go shopping because I don't know what on earth to buy a twelve year old girl. I can cover the basics, like a bed and desk, but I leave decorations and clothes to you."

Dinah nodded, "That's probably for the best. Get us a list of things she likes and her clothing sizes. Odds are we'll just get a few plain clothes then take her shopping so she can pick out stuff she likes."

"Good idea," Oliver said, he faced Roy, "In addition to helping with preparations, you'll be in charge of her more often than Dinah or I will."

"What," Roy questioned surprised.

Oliver nodded, "Ill be here while she settles, but Dinah and I can't stay off duty from our civilian lives or league duties for too long. School isn't in session, not that we could really send her yet anyway, so she'll be here all the time. I'll be off either running the company or with the league, which spreads me pretty thin. Dinah will be off doing her stuff at the firm and League, both take a lot of time."

"So I'm a babysitter," Roy grumbled.

Dinah added, "You're a guard. You watch her, keep her in line while we're gone."

Roy huffed, "Yeah, just a babysitter. Unbelievable."

"Think you can't handle watching a kid," Oliver said teasingly.

Roy narrowed his eyes, but his expression was softer, "I can handle just about anything."

"Clearly you've never dealt with kids," Dinah said as she stepped inside the kitchen, "Now what's for dinner?"

 **Four days later**

Artemis had to admit that she was a fan of the watchtower. Even though she wasn't allowed to go anywhere really without being under the watchful eyes of at least two or three leaguers, she loved going to any place with windows.

Space had always fascinated her, especially the stars for a reason she never quite understood. There was just something beautiful and sweet about the blinking lights in the sky. The stories they could tell, the possibilities of what lay with them out there far away.

The young girl was currently sitting in a ledge with Wonder Woman, looking out the giant window that gave them a great view of the stars and the planet at certain times. This would make the eighth time Artemis had asked Wonder Woman to come here, the seventh time she agreed to do so.

A bonus had been Wonder Woman telling Artemis the real stories of the constellations they found that day. Artemis could not get enough of them, the stories made her stay here a bit more bearable. Not to mention the shared enjoyment of Oreos with the Martian. It surprised her that the green alien enjoyed the cookie and cream combination, but her experience with aliens was incredibly few, so she wasn't too sure. Maybe all aliens enjoyed Oreos.

Well Superman wasn't their biggest fan, but he would still eat them. Artemis glanced at the Amazon warrior, who wasn't dressed in her signature armor. Wonder Woman, or Diana with her casual clothes, had only meant to stop by to grab something. But Artemis managed to drag the heroine up to the ledge of half an hour because she was was bored and in desperate need of entertainment.

Since Diana had nowhere else to be, she didn't see the harm. Artemis seemed like a well enough kid, she had the heart of a true warrior. That was enough to get Diana to like her, seeing the fire in those eyes reminded Diana of her sisters. However it saddened Diana to see such a look in the face of someone so young.

A child should be filled with nothing but happiness and love, not pain and fear. Though Artemis hid it well, Diana could see the terror that existed inside the assassin. She was deathly afraid of something, but the heroine wasn't sure if her fear was from the Justice league or the league of shadows.

"What about Orion," Artemis asked as she continued to look at the stars, "I know he was a hunter, but his belt is referred to as the three kings."

Diana nodded, "I'm not as familiar with the three kings story, it came long after the original story and was not apart of Grecian culture."

"Makes sense," Artemis commented. "Artemis," called Arrow from below, "Artemis I know you're up there hiding."

Diana raised an eyebrow at the tween in question, "Hiding?"

Artemis shrugged, "I was hiding and I got bored."

"But why were you hiding," Diana asked, curious and a bit concerned.

Artemis had to remain under the watch of a leaguer at all times while she was here. While the anklet she wore under her sock would block her from entering areas, the anklet was not that powerful and wouldn't stop her for long. Luckily she hasn't gone anywhere of importance, nor had she tried to remove it as far as the leaguers were concerned.

Artemis looked away, down at Arrow who was waiting expectantly, "Yesterday, at the archery range, he told me about the plans for when I leave… the shadows can't reach me here in space, they only have two maybe three ships capable of it. So they wouldn't be a threat to your station. But down on earth, they have everything they need."

Before Diana could say anything to the blonde girl, Artemis had slipped off the side and mannered her way down to the floor like an acrobatic. During Artemis' third questioning, on the second day, she had told them all she could do from the fighting styles to weapons to education.

It was rather impressive considering she was not a teenager yet and most of which she had accomplished was not something the leaguers had done at her age. The boy wonder, Robin, was a second or really third to her at this point.

He was nearly ten, but had accomplished feats in acrobatics, gymnastics and multiple martial art forms. He was already gifted in acrobatics and gymnastics, the martial art forms took a bit. No one would say it with the Batman present, but the others wanted to see the boy wonder and Artemis spar.

Robin was always practicing with the adults and while it was good for him since his enemies were adults, some of the leaguers thought it would be nice for him to fight someone closer to his age. For him to be around someone who was closer to his age as he spent most of his time with adults.

They also wanted it for Artemis so she could see what her future held, a place here. Batman hadn't been thrilled by the notion, but even he had to admit that having Artemis on their side would prove to be in the best interest of the league. The members wouldn't live forever, they would all either retire or pass away at some point. Their shoes would have to be filled someday.

Batman has Robin, though the Gotham knight never said it or acknowledged it, but it was quite clear that Robin would take the mantle of Batman after the original had passed. Arrow had Roy, he would find his place in the league once he became a bit older. Aquaman has his apprentice who would no doubt take his mantle of hero after he could no longer stay here.

Artemis landed lightly on her feet, much like a cat would despite her high descent.

"Yes Arrow," Artemis said, standing before the green hero.

While Arrow was dressed in his usual attire, Artemis was in casual attire that somewhat mirrored his own. She wore dark blue jeans, a forest green shirt that matched the caped hero and a dark green headband matching Arrow's eye mask.

Diana looked down at them, to anyone who didn't know the pair and their situation, could have mistaken them for father and daughter. The green clothes, similar skin tones and blonde hair.

"Walk with me," Arrow said, nodding his head to the right.

Artemis replied, "Alright. Where are we going?"

"I want you to meet someone," Arrow vaguely explained.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, that's as definitely a first. Most of the time the leaguers That Artemis knew, namely Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Martian and Arrow, preferred she not have contact with any of their fellow members.

Artemis didn't question it, but she supposed it was to keep her secret all the more secret. As far as any of the other members were concerned, she was just a child in need of protection. She wasn't a fan of the cover story, but she didn't get a say in that so she didn't complain.

"Who," Artemis asked.

All Arrow said was, "You'll see."

Artemis didn't appreciate that reply. Arrow lead her down a series of hallways she recognized, they were getting closer to the main floors where everyone had access to. Artemis knew that the watchtower was divided by clearance, the founders had access to everywhere, the middle men had access to the bottom two sections and the newer members only had access to the main areas.

It seemed fair, but she could tell it caused strife. Especially if someone was 'promoted' and another wasn't.

Arrow stepped inside a room, Artemis followed his lead. With their back to them was a woman dressed in all black. Tight pants and a black leotard, a navy blue jacket on top and blonde hair.

"Black Canary," Artemis whispered.

She knew all about the Canaries, sisters with sonic screams that could destroy just about anything and eardrums. That was just the start of their powers. The woman turned around, bright blue eyes and a gentle face.

"You must be Artemis," said Black Canary, "Nice to officially meet you."

Artemis nodded, "And you Black Canary."

"You can use my name, I know you know it," replied Black Canary.

Artemis hesitated, "Dinah Lance, do you prefer Ms Dinah or Ms Lance?"

Black Canary shrugged, "Just Dinah is fine. Oliver here has been making we wait to meet you."

"Is that right," Artemis said glancing at Arrow, "How rude of him."

"I know," grinned Dinah, "I have to wonder why I married the man."

"For my dazzling charm and looks," said Arrow going to her side.

Dinah scoffed, "No it was definitely for your money."

Arrow just rolled his eyes, "Sure it was."

Arrow took a seat beside Dinah at the table. Artemis continued to stand in her place unsure of where to move. She had no idea why one of the canaries would come to see her, probably a threat about not messing up her household or something. Artemis wasn't scared of either Canary, but she was slightly intimidated by them.

"You can sit," Dinah said bring Artemis back to the present.

Artemis blinked, "I'm okay here. Why did you want to see me?"

"Well we're going to be living together for awhile, I figured I should meet you before you come into the house," said Dinah simply, "Roy isn't allowed on the watchtower, so you'll meet him when you first arrive."

Artemis remembered reading Roy's file. The teen had been taken off of the streets by Oliver Queen after the teen had helped Oliver out of a sticky situation. Roy had been taken away from his parents at a young age due to their inability to properly care for him.

The system however wasn't kind to him and eventually he ran away to live on his own. Artemis read his files a bit more thoroughly than the other upcoming sidekicks of the League, mainly because Roy had some stints with her sister.

The two ran into each other on several occasions, too often for Artemis to consider normal since they weren't common enemies like the Joker was Batman. It was odd, though Artemis was beginning to think something must go on during their meetings. The pre-teen never cared much for her sister's endeavors, knowing that she wouldn't be told about them anyway, but regardless she was curious about this.

"He's a fairly decent guy, a great person who hits some bumps in the road," Dinah told her, why the girl didn't know, "He's not thrilled about the idea of you staying with us."

Artemis shrugged, "Understandable. I am an assassin, I wouldn't be thrilled either. Though I'm confused why you're telling me this. I figured your own welcome would be minimal and less than hospitable."

Dinah offered a weak smile, "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt because of what Ollie has told me about you. You'll be staying with us for the upcoming weeks or months, you already know what will happen if you act out, so I see no reason to force it down your throat."

Artemis glanced away from Dinah at that. She knew what would happen, Batman had told her, Superman reminded her, Wonder Woman has hinted at it and Artemis wrote it down. This was her one chance, most people never got a chance. She had to use it wisely.

Of course she had a backup plan if the Justice League didn't live up to their promises or just was no longer giving her what she desired. She would then contact the Shadows and they would send her a plan or get her out themselves.

Part of her hoped not to follow through with the plan, but she was afraid of this risk. It wasn't as calculated as she would have liked. While nothing truly scared her except her father, sister and two mentors in League of Assassins, this risk would be added until it either paid off or it blew up in her face.

"So," Dinah said, "The day you come down to earth, I'm taking you out shopping."

Artemis jerked at that, "Why?"

"You need some clothes, Oliver handled the furniture and all of that in your room already, we have some basic clothes there already like the ones you're wearing, but you'll need more," Dinah explained.

Artemis glanced at Oliver who said, "Just roll with it. I only think you need a couple of clothes, but it's good to have a lot and whatever you don't like you give away. It works out."

Artemis could count on one hand the amount of clothing items to she had. Training outfit, sleepwear and her uniform/costume of Alice. Three outfits, though each one had at least four articles of material that went with it.

"Alright," Artemis said simply, "Anything else?"

Dinah nodded, "Last thing. Tell me about yourself."

Artemis raised her brow in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"As in what do you like to do for fun, favorite color, hobbies, what shows or movies do you like, that sort of thing," answered Dinah.

Artemis didn't answer for a long time it seemed, she had no idea what she liked to do for fun. Training was sometimes fun when she was just sparing. Gymnastics was also good, though she mainly enjoyed the bars. Color, she didn't know. Maybe green or blue? No she hated blue because of Alice in Wonderland. She'd stick with green for now, dark green.

She didn't have any hobbies, she wasn't entirely sure what a hobby was supposed to be. She'd never watched tv and never been to the movies and there weren't any lying around the compound. She had watched training videos though, but that was it.

"Gymnastics or sparring, green, don't have any and I've never watched tv or seen movies," answered Artemis after the pregnant pause.

Oliver gasped, "You've never watched tv or seen movies?"

Artemis shook her head no in reply, "Father said they were pointless."

Oliver wanted to say her father was dumb, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to offend her, she had been well behaved thus far and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Well tv shows and movies are not pointless," said Oliver, "They are for entertainment, designed to give people an escape and take you on all kinds of adventures."

"They sound glorified," Artemis deadpanned, "But I'm intrigued."

Dinah grinned, "Guess movie nights are back on."

Oliver nodded, "Definitely back on. Hopefully to stay this time, if only Roy would get into them."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Jade knew her father would have a fit if he knew where she was headed. It was the middle of the day, she had just pulled into the parking lot of a prison that held someone who was once dear to her. Her mother, Paula Crock, had been imprisoned here since Jade had been thirteen, Artemis had been five or six at the time.

The same event that forced their mother to be in prison also caused her the loss of her legs. In another two or three years, the infamous Huntress would be released as some files and new evidence would show that she was not in fact the killer assassin, but simply a woman caught in an awful mess.

Jade adjusted her fake glasses as she went through security, her head down when cameras came in sight. While the cameras could not recognize her face, she didn't need anyone to be familiar with her features. Part of the reason she had all her dark hair tucked into the grey beanie on her head.

Any other day she would have worn her own baseball cap and let her hair sick out, but she decided that it would be best not to do that. Besides, she wanted to wear the beanie. Artemis loved this beanie.

It send a pang if guilt and anger through Jade. Artemis should be wearing it or at least arguing with Jade for wearing it without permission. Jade should not be wearing it as she mourns for the loss of her sister. This visit would not be a pleasant one, that much Jade knew.

For four days Jade had put off coming here because she knew her mother's heart would break. Artemis was the best of their family. She chose to see the good in the world, even after all the horrible things she had seen and all the crimes she committed, she still had faith in light.

Jade fought to keep those persistent tears at bay, she could not cry now, she would not shed another tear. Before the teen knew it, she was sitting at a table waiting for her mother to come. After a few minutes, her and the other few visitors were greeted by their friends or family here.

Her mother had the same skin as Artemis, but the dark hair matched Jade's. Since coming to prison, her hair had been cut repeatedly and remained above shoulder length. Jade had no idea if it was her mother's choice or the prisons.

"I wasn't expecting to see you," said her mother as she rolled up.

It had been years since Jade had last visited her mother, after an argument between the two that left Jade wounded though she would never admit it. Artemis wasn't allowed to see her mother and had no way of sneaking to her without getting caught by either Jade or her father.

When Artemis was nine she tried repeatedly to come and find her mother, but each time she was stopped by Jade or Sportsmaster. It was usually Jade who stopped her, keeping Artemis from their father's anger.

Jade was certain her father still visited her mother, but she could never be sure. If her father didn't visit, that meant Paula never saw anyone. The thought sent a brief stab of sadness. Jade quickly pushed it aside.

Jade replied, "Couldn't leave you to rot away in here could I?"

Her mother commented, "I suppose not. It is good to see you again. You look so good, so grown."

Jade wanted to say a lot of awful things to the woman at that moment, but she decided against it. She wasn't here to settle a score, she was here because this woman deserved to know the truth.

"I'm not here for pleasantries," said Jade tersely.

Her mother nodded with a sad smile, "I figured. Why did you come?"

There it was. That question. Jade knew now is the time. Yet she began to have her doubts. When Artemis was born, Jade had been pulled away from her training with father and his colleagues.

Her mother believed that Artemis being born healthy was a sign of hope, hope for her children and their future. Jade had no idea why her mother felt that way and blamed it on hormones. However Jade was beginning to think now she understood.

Artemis had been this dark family's only light, she was their hope and now she was gone. Jade looked at her mother. How was she supposed to tell her that her second child was dead? That her hope was destroyed?

The teen pulled out the necklace hesitantly, Artemis' necklace that was still dirty from ashes and dried blood.

Jade placed it on the table, "You recognize this."

Her mother jerked at the sight. Of course she would recognize this. After all she spent hours upon hours searching for the perfect necklace to find for her newborn. Paula would never forget her daughter's prized necklace like she never forgot Jade's ring.

After their disagreement, Jade left the ring. Paula wore it on her right hand. Her older hands took the necklace off the table at near inhuman speed, her dark eyes wide with…. fear and love. Love for the owner and memories, fear because the state.

"This is Artemis's," whispered her mother, the woman looked at Jade, "Why is it in such awful shape? Why do you have it? Artemis would never take it off."

Jade nodded, a fond smile creeping on her face, "She always was possessive of that damn thing."

"Was," her mother questioned.

"There was an explosion," Jade said sadly and went into her tale of the night of Artemis's death.

Of course she left out the part about leaving Artemis under the beam, even though Jade had every intention of coming back, she couldn't bring the words up. It would sound like she had left her sister to die and in a way… Jade had.

 _You have to look out for her Jade! For once in your life, can't you understand that the world does not revolve around you?_

When Jade finished her story, her mother could only stare at her speechless. Her youngest daughter, her Artemis was gone….

Paula shook her head. No, her daughter could not be gone. A pain unlike anything the former assassin had ever felt pierced her heart and very soul.

"No," she said hoarsely, she clenched the pendant in her hand tightly, "No! She's alive! She-she cannot be gone!"

Her outburst did not go unnoticed by the others. The woman did not care, how could she care about anything.

Hot tears fell from her dark eyes as she cried, "Not my baby! No, no! Artemis has to be alive. Not-not her… why-why her? Why her?— you were there! Why didn't you save her?!"

Jade was not surprised that her Mom would shout at her. In fact she had expected it, though she knew if her father decided to come here, he would received the blunt of it.

Jade looked away, "I wasn't fast enough. It should have been me to go down in flames."

Her mother didn't say anything, she believed those words. If anyone in their family deserved to live, it was always Artemis. It would be her every single time. Her mother brought a hand to cover her mouth as she struggled not to sob as violently as the pain ripping through her was.

"My baby," her mother said, anger burning in her eyes, "You will avenge her."

Jade nodded sharply, "I won't rest until those who took her have paid in full."

Her mother nodded, "wear her necklace when they do."

Jade nodded and took the necklace back from her mother. Tentatively, Jade put the necklace on. The slight added pressure was hardly noticeable, but Jade was very aware of it on her. Her mother then removed the ring.

It was a golden ring with green scale designs like a dragon. It was a dragon, the head was on top where the jade green gem rested. Jade took the ring back and slipped it on.

She clenched her fist, "Don't worry. Those supposed heroes will pay for this."

Paula nodded, "They better. The moment I'm out of here, I'll be out right back in."

Jade raised an eyebrow in question.

Her mother replied, "It's better you don't know."

Jade hated not knowing things, but she would leave it alone for now. It was time to go, she has work to do and plans to make.

* * *

Artemis was sitting in her 'room' though it was still technically a prison cell with Martian Manhunter. After her talk with Dinah and Oliver, Artemis felt a bit excited about leaving the watchtower to join them on earth. However she was also even more nervous about the idea.

Though the Martian could not read her thoughts clearly, he could only just barely scratch the surface now, but he could tell she was unsettled. So he brought her a pack of Oreos and two cups of milk.

The two of them were sitting on the floor enjoying the Oreos in relatively peaceful silence. J'onn tried to probe at her mind and she had tried to give him more access, but to no avail. Artemis explained the training she had to avoid mind readers, but she wasn't doing any of it now.

J'onn suspected she knew it well enough that it was entrained into her subconscious and she could do it now without a thought. Almost as if it were as easy as breathing.

"J'onn," Artemis said uncertainly, "Can I ask you something?"

The Martian looked at her and swallowed his Oreo, "You just did, but yes. Continue."

Artemis sighed, "How long will I be with Oliver? What happens when I leave them? Where will I go then?"

"You'll be staying with Arrow and Black Canary for an indefinite amount of time, anywhere from months to years," said J'onn simply.

"What about after," Artemis pushed, something akin to fear in her stormy eyes.

J'onn answered, "I do not know. I would not concern yourself with such things. Worrying about the distant future will only cause you an unnecessary amount of stress and anxiety."

Artemis frowned, she dipped another Oreo, "But how can I not worry?"

"Keep your attention on what's in front of you, one thing at a time," suggested J'onn.

Artemis made a face, "Only one thing? Father and Talia would kill me if I only focused on one thing. I was taught to look at everything and make split second decisions based off that one look."

"And that is a very good skill to have in a fight, however you do not need off the field," said the Martian simply.

"Wouldn't be too sure about that," Artemis released a sigh, "But I guess you could be right."

Artemis ate a couple more cookies with J'onn when Arrow entered the room. He knocked twice first before coming in. Artemis would have hissed at him for that, but she let it go for now.

He looked concerned. Usually when he wasn't dressed as Arrow he was a bit more relaxed, as Arrow he was still aloof, but focused st the same time. Him in normal clothing wasn't an out of place, his concerned expression was.

"Hey J'onn. Artemis, you're needed upstairs, come with me," said Arrow.

Artemis stood up, "Alright, what's going on?"

"You're mother has a visitor," answered Arrow.

Artemis froze in her spot. As far as she was concerned no one was allowed to visit her mother. Though Artemis was certain her father still visited her mother, she wasn't certain about anyone else being allowed to see her. Out of fear that more people from the shadows would be linked.

Wordlessly, Artemis followed Arrow to one of the monitor rooms with J'onn not far behind. He still had the Oreos with him. When they arrived, Artemis was greeted by Batman and Wonder Woman. Superman wasn't present and J'onn gave Artemis a few Oreos before leaving the room.

"We monitored your mothers records," said Batman, "She hasn't had a visitor in a year. The last one to see her was a broad man with auburn hair."

Artemis raised an eye, but she knew it was her father. She wouldn't say so. Her father must have dyed his hair to avoid suspicion as he wore his hair out as Sportsmaster.

"Other than that no visitors. Until this morning."

Artemis frowned, "That auburn haired man must be one of father's lackey's, Harris I'm sure. Why call me for a visitor? I can't identify them certainly."

"Because of this one," Wonder Woman said pointing at the security footage.

It was frozen on a young woman's mostly hidden face. A grey beanie on her head, hiding her hair, but her face was down. Always out of reach of the camera.

 _Jade._

She wore a pair of black glasses, making it harder to get the features around her eyes.

"Jade," Artemis whispered, her tone saddened, "That's Jade."

Artemis saw flashes of the night she was captured, Cheshire standing a ways away from her. She stepped forward to be between Batman and Wonder Woman, her eyes focused on the young woman. The images changed, the young woman Jade was now seated before their mother.

"That's your sister right," Arrow inquired.

Artemis nodded, she swallowed, "Yes, but why-why is she there? Father never allowed us to visit our mom."

"How come," Wonder Woman asked, a frown on her face.

"Well part protection, even though our faces could not be recognized it was better to not be seen period. Not anything that could be saved," Artemis explained, "But Jade avoids the camera well enough though, but… it doesn't make sense why she would be there. She hadn't gone to see Mom in years…"

"Do you think she was sent there," Batman asked.

Artemis thought it over, it seemed unlikely, "It's possible. Either my father sent her or he has no idea she's there. Can we hear their conversation?"

"No, sound is off, but we're working to see if we can pick up on anything," Batman told her.

Arrow asked the next question, "Why would he send her?"

Artemis hesitated, her father wouldn't see her mother because of their fallout and all grievances they had. Artemis didn't like talking about her parents disagreements or their issues.

Though she was young when her mother was taken away, she still remembered the fights her parents would have. She could clearly remember them screaming at each other in the middle of the night once.

Screaming horrible things at each other, she even remembers hearing all the thuds and shattering objects. She was certain her parents had started fighting. Artemis could hardly stand the sounds.

She rushed out of bed, her teddy bear in hand and raced to her sisters room right door. She threw the door open to find Jade sitting on her bed, earphones on and volume all the way up.

Artemis looked away from the screen, she could clearly see Jade sitting there. She looked up with fear, fear that father had come up, but the fear turned to concern when she saw Artemis.

"Come on," Jade had said and that was the end of it.

The two girls hid on the blankets, headphones in and watching videos to distract them.

"There's no way my father could have a civil meeting with my mother," said Artemis finally.

"What makes you say that," Wonder Woman asked gently.

Artemis looked defeated as she explained, "They no longer care for each other. I think once my parents loved each other, but I'm sure it died after I was born. My mother didn't want Jade or I to be raised in the shadows. She wanted us to choose our path. Father disagreed."

Artemis paused, "The two fought, physical fought, the winner would decide. Our mother lost, she blames him for all the bad things that have happened to our family… Jade being there confirms that… that they think I'm dead. He must have figured she'd take the news better from her. She would've lashed out at him… she thinks I'm dead."

Artemis stopped speaking for a long time. The only reason Jade would visit their mother must be to give her the news. That was the only reason Artemis could think of. Her capture, death according to Batman, happened less than a week ago. Her family truly believed she was gone.

Wonder Woman said softly, "We can still bring you to her. It would not be a problem to do so."

Artemis shook her head, "No…. not unless… could you drug her room and drop me in?"

"How come," Arrow questioned.

"So I could see her, but she not know I'm alive. I doubt she'd say anything or contact me, father or Jade, but it'd be better to keep this… charade," Artemis answered, "I think it's better that she believes I'm gone. This way in her mind I'm free."

Arrow rested a hand in her shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll make sure you see her again."

Artemis didn't say anything, she had nothing to say. Without a word, she moved past Arrow and left the small room.

None of the heroes moved to follow the pre-teen, Batman didn't send anyone after her either. They all knew she wasn't supposed to be anywhere without one of them nearby, but given the news of today, they let it go for the moment.

"I'm going to check on her," said Wonder Woman after a few tense moments of silence.

"Maybe she needs some space now, to process it all," said Arrow, even though he didn't sound like he liked that idea.

Wonder Woman sighed, "Regardless, someone should make sure she is okay."

"And keep her out of trouble," commented Batman as he went through the footage again.

Diana glared at him, "She's just learned that her family is going to mourn while she watches on the side. At twelve years that is not something she should have to endure along with everything else."

Batman glanced at the heroine, but said nothing in return.

Arrow nodded, "It's a lot. Go see if she needs anything, I have a call to make."

Wonder Woman nodded and left the room to find where Artemis had gone. It had been years ago, but Diana could remember having to say goodbye to her mother and sisters.

She could never see her mother again, her mother would never see her again. Even though her mother, Queen Hippolyta, was alive and well, she would not leave Themyscira and Diana was forbidden to return.

The pair would never see each other again, not knowing if the other was still alive or what was happening to the other. Knowing her mother was alive out there, but could never see her was painful to Diana.

She had the chance to see the woman who brought her to life, but she could not go to her. In a way, the heroine understood what Artemis was feeling. Wonder Woman looked around the empty halls, but found no sign of Artemis.

Eventually she found herself at the ledges or 'maze of beams' as Artemis referred to them. It was in front of a large window, the one that Wonder Woman Tell the stories of the stars in front of.

Diana looked up to see Artemis making her way up to the top, but not as effortlessly as normal. The young girl's shoulders were shaking, her form wasn't as controlled as it normally was. Diana had seen Artemis perform incredible feats here, since there was not much here to occupy a child Artemis asked to work in a training room.

None of the members had a problem, she was given mostly free reign of a room near her own. Arrow and Superman has seen what she could do, Wonder Woman and Batman had observed as well. If things went accordingly, there was hope for Artemis to have a place here.

Three of the four who had seen her believed it would be soon. Batman of course believed it would take awhile before she could be trusted and he was right. Artemis made it to the highest beam, she was nearly out of sight now except for the barest view of the blonde hair.

Diana floated up to the young girl, who now had knees pulled up to her chest and her face brief in her arms. Her small shoulders trembled slightly, even with Diana's near perfect hearing she could barely pick up on Artemis' cries.

"Artemis," said the heroine sadly.

The pre-teen lifted her head to look at Diana, her grey eyes shimmering and glazed over. Artemis wiped the tears away, ashamed. Her father would have a fit if he knew she was crying, her sister would pretend not see it, but even she would be disappointed.

Artemis looked away, "I-I miss her."

Wonder Woman moved to sit beside Artemis, ready to offer the girl any comfort that she could.

Artemis went on sadly, "the memories I have left of her are faded and blurred, but they were good. I remember her laugh mostly, but even that's leaving me now…. all I had left was a necklace, with an arrow pendant and my name on it. It was the only gift I ever got to keep from her, the only real thing I have left of her. Now that's gone to… I've lost her. Really lost her."

"No you haven't," Diana insisted, "You still have her in your heart and in your memories."

Artemis stared at Wonder Woman sorrowfully, "I was so close to having her see me, to be near her again and that chance is gone. Next time she sees me, she won't be able to tell whether or not it was real."

"Perhaps, but at least you will have her for a few moments and she will have you," Diana told her gently.

Artemis sucked in a breath, "I don't want her for a few moments or in my heart or memories. It's not enough! Soon I'll forget her and then I'll have lost her."

Artemis jumped to her feet, anger and sorrow running rampant throughout her. Anger that this happened, sorrow because it was real. All she had was her father who, despite all the horrible things that he was, Artemis desperately wanted to gain his approval and love.

She knew he was a cruel man who no doubt cared little for her, but he was her father. She loved him and she hoped that deep down he did really love her. For all the bad, there was some amount of good, wasn't there? And there was Jade.

They didn't get along often, but Jade was always willing to be there for her. She was willing, it didn't always occur, but at least Artemis knew her sister did care about her to some extent. However little or large that amount was.

The heroine rested a hand on Artemis' still trembling shoulder, "You have the same features, when you look in the mirror you can see her."

Artemis's eyes turned dark, bitterly she said, "I look like my father. I have his blonde hair and eyes. Well his are more grey brown, but mine are all grey, so they came from him."

"You have your mother's cheeks, the same look in your eyes, nose," Diana replied, "I can see her in you. She lives through you, she will always be with you."

Artemis was barely holding herself together, she shouted, "I don't want her there! I never wanted her there! I want her here. I never had her! I only ever had father, and he is a cruel man. I only had Jade, and though she tried at times, I wasn't worth the effort!"

Artemis looked away, she knew she shouldn't be acting this way, that she should have better control of her emotions now, but she couldn't help it. All the fear and stress of being her, of the terror she felt if her father knew the truth.

How disappointed he would be in her, how angry he would become. Did he even care that she was gone? Artemis Knew he did, but for the right reasons was beyond her.

"Artemis," Diana said bring Artemis' attention forward.

With tear stained cheeks, the pre-teen spoke, "My mother treated me like a daughter once. I wish we could-could have that a-again. I want-want her here with me, to-to really be here before I-I-I-"

Artemis forced the next words out as she struggled to keep the sobs at bay, "forget her."

The sound broke Diana's heart. Diana let both her hands rest on the young girl's shoulders, "You must hold onto her then, she will never truly be lost to you. Not as long as you fight to keep her here."

Artemis swallowed her sobs and shook her head, "But I've already lost her."

"No, she is not lost to you," Diana said earnestly.

"But she is," Artemis cried, "I don't know her! I've never known her, the few memories I can hold onto are nearly gone and soon I'll have nothing left. Only her name."

Diana answered, just as earnest as before, "You have her spirit. I've fought the huntress only once before, but you both fight with the same fire, the same determination and heart. She lives in you, even when her memory has faded away."

Artemis released a sad breath, "I don't want them to go."

"Sometimes the things we want are not what we need," Diana whispered sadly.

Artemis whimpered, her heart breaking at the knowledge her mother couldn't know she was alive. That she would never be able to see her mother again after the visit. That it was possible she wouldn't be able to go see her at all if she stayed with Oliver. Her face would be all over.

What if her mother recognized her after the visit? What would happen then? Artemis looked to the floor, hot tears falling down her face. She brought her hands to her face, struggling to stop the tears that continued to fall.

Diana couldn't take it. She pulled the young girl into her arms. At first, Artemis hesitated, but her need for comfort overtook her mental protests. She returned the hug and just cried into the heroines stomach with trembling shoulders and muffled sobs.

* * *

After Oliver had finished his phone call, a long conversation with Dinah he went to search for his new charge. Everything was prepared for Artemis' stay, if only a few brief items were missing and the press had been taken care of.

Dinah had sent an anonymous tip that Queen family had been approved to adopt a child. That it had been under the works for a little over a year and was finally official. All the records of the adoption would be forged of course, but impossible to tell if it was fake.

Artemis' new identity was complete, all her fake records in the system and ready to go. All that was really left was to bring Artemis home. Usually Oliver lived in his penthouse in Star city, under one of his businesses near the area had his Arrow cave.

However the penthouse location had a busy number of people, sneaking Artemis in and out would be near impossible. For the time being that Artemis remained with them and hidden from the public completely, the Queens would be staying at the Queen Estate away from people.

Oliver didn't mind the move, neither did Dinah really. Roy however was beyond annoyed at the move and wanted to protest his leaving. He claimed he was old enough to stay alone in the penthouse. He would be eighteen soon, but Dinah wouldn't have it and Roy wasn't going to fight her on this.

Neither of them fought Dinah on anything really. Her word was practically law. Oliver smiled at the thought of her. He was glad they went public with their marriage, even with the risk of their identities, it was worth it. Especially with all the cover ups and precautions they took.

Oliver decided he better go and find Artemis, to see how she was doing. He hadn't seen Diana or the girl in question for awhile now. He hoped Artemis was doing okay. It took him longer to find her than he had originally planned and would have taken him longer if not for Wonder Woman's humming. He knew Artemis liked to climb to high places, but he hadn't been paying close attention.

"Diana," he yelled, "Have you seen Artemis?"

The heroine poked her head out and shushed him, her eyes glaring at him, "Quiet."

She disappeared out of his view again, leaving him to stand there with a raised eyebrow. It took a few seconds, but the heroine did reappear with Artemis this time. Only Artemis was asleep in her arms, cradled like an infant.

Wonder Woman floated to the floor and said softly, "She cried so much as to exhaust herself. I put her under a sleeping charm to help her relax."

Arrow blinked in surprise, "Since when can you do charms?"

"An Amazonian song, the words and its melody were enchanted by Hypnos," explained Diana simply.

Rather than ask her further, her turned his attention to Artemis, "Alright. How was she doing?"

Diana released a heavy sigh, "Not well. She believes that she has lost her mother forever, that her mother was her only chance to have a family again."

Arrow looked down sadly at Artemis, "Given the background she's told us, I'm not surprised she would feel that way. Hopefully we get her to her mother soon, at least so she can say goodbye to her for once."

Diana nodded sorrowfully. It was the best they could offer her, it wasn't enough, but it was all they had.


	6. Chapter 6

Summary:Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

When Artemis woke up in her 'room' she groaned in frustration at the memory of her breakdown with Wonder Woman. She hoped no one else would mention it. The pre-teen sat up uneasily, her head was pounding slightly most likely from a lack of water.

 _Get up lazy before Father gets here_.

Artemis could practically hear Jade's voice echoing in the room. There were times when Artemis didn't wake up promptly at the time her father wanted her to. Jade hardly needed sleep, so she was always up and ready. She would make sure Artemis was ready to, this way they both avoided his rage.

" _Artemis get up," hissed Jade causing Artemis to jerk awake._

 _Her storm cloud eyes looked around frantically as she sat up in her bed, panic flickered across her face, but quickly went away. It was just Jade._

" _Jade," Artemis said, one brow raised, "What is it? It's not even past 4, why-"_

 _Artemis didn't get the chance to finish when their father all but threw their door open. When the door collided with the wall, both girls visibly jumped at the sudden noise. The four year old Artemis jumped to her feet while Jade simply stood straighter in her spot._

 _Jade had known her father intended to do a surprise attack on them, specifically Artemis and Jade wanted to ensure her sister was awake before he arrived. This way, she wouldn't be too caught off guard._

 _Even though that wasn't helping Artemis much in case of an emergency and she was alone, Jade figured her sister deserved a break. Any other day he came in to make sure they were awake and ready, they were hardly ready at this point, barely awake._

" _Already up then," said their father, his eyes narrowed at Jade._

 _She glared at him, "I'm taking her on a morning run. Training for either of us doesn't begin until 7 today."_

 _Their father scoffed, "Sure, that's what you were doing. Artemis, step forward."_

 _It took the strength of a thousand people for Jade not to grab her sister's arm and pull her back._

" _Go through the forms I showed you yesterday, Jade do your morning series," said the cold voice of Sportsmaster, "I'll be back soon. When I get back, you're both starting training earlier."_

Artemis shook away the memory. It was a random morning, but it stuck with her because of the day that followed. That had been the worst, or one of the worst she should say, days of training in her life. Most of the time, Artemis enjoyed training because she could lose herself in the motions.

Two days ago, she had been allowed to go to one of empty training rooms with Arrow and Batman. Originally it had only been Arrow, but Batman had passed by and watched her fight the robots and run through her forms. Artemis knew that Arrow was impressed with her, she couldn't tell if Batman was though.

Wonder Woman had joined the viewing party shortly after the first batch of training bots was destroyed. The heroine had showed a bit of admiration and had actually complimented her on her technique. Even offered to spar with her one day, teach her some moves much to Batman's annoyance. Not that Artemis could really tell, but she assumed the clenching of his jaw was meant as a sign he didn't like it.

She also assumed that had to do with Arrow's comment about her being more skilled than the boy Wonder, Robin. Batman was clearly protective of his sidekick and Artemis couldn't blame him. His counterpart, Bruce Wayne, adopted the orphaned circus child. Richard Grayson's parents were murdered before his eyes, just like that of the billionaire. Artemis sighed. Speaking of the billionaire, there he was.

Batman had just knocked on the door to see Artemis sitting in her bed looking disjointed and somber. The girl was a strange entity, but he was glad to have found her. The tip he received from someone Aquaman had been in contact with proved good. A rescue of sorts had been put in place for Artemis and would have been put in place for her sister as well had the other assassin stayed put for a minute longer.

Aquaman had said two girls needed to be freed from the shadows, that one way or another they needed help. Batman didn't know anything about them, only that they were both under 20 years old and being raised in a dark place. The only reason Batman agreed to help was for future allies and for the sake of the kids who didn't get a childhood.

"Good you're awake," said Batman monotonically.

He remembered what Wonder Woman and Arrow had said about what happens after Artemis left the monitor room. How upset she was. At first Batman had been a little bitter about it, at least her parents were still alive. However what Diana told him made sense.

 _Imagine knowing that the people you love are alive, but you can never see them again. That they exist in this world, but you will never see or hear of them._

It almost seemed as bad as death, not quite, but still terrible.

Artemis stood from her seat, pushing the covers away, "Yeah… what's up?"

"You leave with Arrow in less than an hour," stated Batman, "Follow me."

The dark knight turned on his heel, Artemis followed after him a moment later. She figured he was probably going to give her another talk about doing what Arrow says and not screwing up.

"If you're going to lecture me about not screwing up, you can save your breath," said Artemis as she quickened her pace to keep up with Batman's strides, "I know what's at stake."

"Exactly what is that," questioned Batman, though he already knew.

Artemis focused ahead, "Freedom to some extent. My mom really… what did Arrow mean, when he said you had pulled it off? Or really how had you pulled it off, with the body?"

Batman looked down at her, "Unimportant."

"I think it's pretty important, how could you get a fake body with dna that was mine all over it," asked Artemis, her eyes on Batman now.

"It's none of your concern Artemis," Batman said, using her name for the first time, "If you must know one thing, know this. I had two 'bodies' and dna samples prepared."

Artemis jumped in front of him, "You had one for Jade to? Was the facility a set up for us? Why did you want Jade or I?"

"Prove yourself not to be a threat or loyal, whichever comes first, and I'll answer your questions," answered Batman flatly.

Artemis folded her arms over her chest, she looked like she wanted to argue, but something stopped her. She froze in her tracks.

"How could I possibly be loyal or not be a threat," Artemis asked bitterly, "I was born to be a killer. The child of the ruthless brute Sportsmaster and the merciless killer Huntress…."

Artemis looked away, her shoulders sagged. Batman could practically see the burden she carried on those small shoulders, a burden too heavy for a child to bare. He felt a bit sorry for her. Looking down at her, she really looked like the twelve year old girl that she was.

His tone never changed though, "You don't have to be a killer. The choice is yours."

Artemis looked at him, "It's not that simple. Jade and I, we had a legacy to uphold…. we-we would take control of the Shadows one day."

This was news to Batman, he hadn't expected that. The League If Shadows wasn't one to have heirs or inheritance, but given recent works with the League of Assassins, Batman wasn't too surprised. Artemis stepped in front of a window, looking out into space.

"You and your sister were heirs," Batman inquired.

"Three of us were heirs to the shadows," said Artemis sadly, "myself Jade and another boy, we weren't allowed to know his name and he wasn't allowed to know ours."

"Did you ever meet him," Batman asked curiosity.

Artemis nodded, "Several times…. Jade had been cut out of the inheritance years ago, it was placed on me and the boy, but when I was nine, he was killed."

"So you were their last heir," Batman said.

Artemis nodded again, a slight grin on her face, "Yeah… I suppose with me gone it will fall to Jade. Not that she would accept it, she hates being tied down."

"Perhaps you will see her again on better terms," commented Batman, "in the meantime hold out your wrist."

Artemis lifted her left arm a bit warily, "Alright."

With her left arm suspended in air, the Batman pulled out what looked like a charm bracelet. Artemis watched as he clicked into place. It felt warm against her wrist, she figured from the electricity that was inside of it.

A tracker no doubt, probably a shock bracelet similar to a shock collar used on dogs. Artemis was prepared to make a remark about it, but decided not to say anything when the bat started to speak.

"This bracelet will work as a tracker and as an extra watcher. Should you decide to run away or out a range of League member, it will shock you and give you five minutes to get back in range."

"And what if they leave me," Artemis asked, "I mean I know Arrow and Canary aren't going to be with me 24/7, his sidekick isn't a league member so what if they leave?"

"It will recognize any League member, hero or sidekick, and as long as you are in a certain range it will not be a problem," answered Batman, "If you ignore it, then it will release an injection that will render you unconscious. If you decide to try and gain access to anything in the Justice League system without permission, the bracelet with shut down whatever computer or device you use," explained Batman simply, "When you have gained the trust of your team and the League is when it will be removed. Do you accept?"

Artemis studied the silver chain and found the charms on it to be the most interesting. Each charm represented a memory of her times here she suspected, the Oreo for the Martian, the moon from Diana, the arrow from Oliver, a star from Superman and she smirked at the bat. Though she had to admit she was slightly pleased to see that Batman had given her a charm.

"It looks nice," said Artemis as she let her hand fall to her side, the charms brushing her skin, "I accept. Your terms."

Batman nodded, "Good. Follow me, Arrow's waiting for us."

Artemis spent the ride with Oliver in silence, she wasn't in the mood to talk and Oliver wasn't too eager to talk either. He was nervous about bringing Artemis into his home. Though he was certain it would go well, he knew Dinah wasn't completely on board and Roy was even further than his wife. Besides he was also concerned with whether or not Artemis would adjust to this life well.

For the first part of the ride they rode in almost complete silence aside from the noise the ship made, but Oliver couldn't really stand the not talking. So he filled the quiet by telling her some stories, mainly about a mission of no consequence or even something about Dinah and Roy.

Even though Artemis never looked at him, Oliver knew she was listening. Despite everything she had done or been through, she was still a child who was lacking a childhood. It broke Oliver's heart if he was being honest, he hoped while she stayed with him he could give her some semblance of one.

After an extra hour of travel after their landing to make sure Oliver Queen wasn't seen as Arrow and that Oliver Queen wasn't seen with a child in tow, they had to take a lot of strange routes and back roads. Artemis didn't mind really, she was along for the ride at this point.

It would be an adjustment and her fear had risen since landing back on the planet, but she was confident in her story of the Shadows did come for her. If they happened to, she would say she was spying on the League and trying to get away would be foolish. Though after inspecting the bracelet on her, she could think of at least thirty ways to get out of it.

The problem was it each option would notify them immediately and she would need at least fifteen seconds. Until she could figure that part, she had a somewhat excuse for the Shadows. She imagined her father would be less than pleased with her for taking so long to escape, he got annoyed when she didn't get out fast enough.

That was the best thing she learned from the Shadows, being able to escape any and all traps. It was the most useful thing really. The only trap Artemis usually struggles with were mazes, Jade was brilliant at those. There really wasn't a trap Jade couldn't get out of, Artemis lacked this, but came up in everything except mazes. They confused her and she got frustrated too easily when it came to them.

"Here we are," Oliver said as the car stopped in the garage, "Welcome to Queen Manor."

Artemis had seen it in pictures and when they passed by, but she wasn't paying attention and neither had Oliver really. Both of them were distracted by their own thoughts. Artemis stepped out of the car after Oliver and looked around the incredibly too big garage with too many cars that were probably never used.

The pre teen forced herself not to growl, she really couldn't stand overly rich people. They never seemed to use their money appropriately. Though technically she thought Queen and Wayne used their money well since they were making weapons and fighting crime.

"Why so many cars," asked Artemis as they walked forward.

Oliver sighed, "They were my dad's and I didn't have the heart to get rid of them."

Artemis nodded, she supposed that made sense. Inside was even bigger and more unnecessary. It would be quite the adjustment, that much Artemis already knew. However she didn't have time to dwell and take in the new place she would call 'home'. Oliver was already walking away and she wasn't in the mood to be roaming around or be accused of running away or setting off the charm bracelet.

Artemis looked down at her wrist then, it didn't feel any different so she figured it's range was either incredibly long or flexible. Artemis quickly caught up to Oliver who was briefly explaining where things were, what doors lead to where. He didn't really say where she couldn't go or where she could go, Artemis had a feeling Dinah would be the one to tell her the rules. Oliver tended to be more laid back, but he had a slightly strict side.

The pair arrived to the kitchen to see Dinah wearing civilian clothes, jeans and a black shirt. Beside her was a teenaged boy with auburn hair and dark eyes, Roy Harper.

"Hey just in time," Dinah said, "I was about to order pizza."

Oliver grinned, "I love pizza."

Roy rolled his eyes, then brought his gaze to Artemis. She was smaller and looked much younger than he had expected. Dinah said the assassin was a kid, but the heroes tended to call anyone under 21 a kid. Yet he shouldn't have been surprised to see a girl who could barely pass for ten years old.

"So you're Artemis, the Shadow girl," Roy said keeping his eyes on Artemis.

The young blonde nodded, "Yes and you're Roy, also known as Speedy."

Roy replied, "A ridiculous name, but yes. You'll be here with us for awhile, with Dinah and Oliver busy with the league, I'll end up being the babysitter more often than not."

Artemis wanted to retort at the term babysitter, but decided against it. Roy was similar to how her sister described him, she had to wonder if Roy knew they were related. As far as Artemis knew, Jade never mentioned that he knew she even existed.

"It looks that way," Artemis answered somewhat cautious.

"I'll be watching you very carefully," Roy said, his tone a bit darker than Artemis was prepared for, "If and when you mess up, I'll be there."

"Roy," Dinah scolded.

Roy glanced at her, "Just making a point." "Cut it out," Dinah said curtly, "She is a guest and will be treated as such."

"Yes ma'am," Roy said reluctantly.

Oliver clapped his hands together, "So what pizza are we getting?"

 **That night**

Sleep didn't find Artemis. The alarm clock beside her bed read 2:47, the dim green lights barely giving her shapes of the items on the night table. She had expected her first night here would be difficult despite the comfortable bed she was lying in. After all, she was in the house of a senior member of the Justice League, along with two other members. One a middle member and the other a barely sidekick.

It was clear to see he would not be her biggest fan, and honestly she couldn't blame him. If she had been in his shoes, she wouldn't have been so willing to accept a stranger let alone an assassin. Artemis turned on her back trying to get comfortable, but to no avail. It would be a miracle if she actually achieved any semblance of sleep.

Part of her was tempted to continue lying in the dark, but the stronger side of her decided to leave her new room and do a bit of exploring. The closer she got to a restricted area, the warmer her little bracket tracker would get.

It helped to avoid places, however it was annoying because she knew learning all of her surroundings would be near impossible. Plus pushing the limits of her freedom was not a good idea. It had barely been twelve hours since her arrival to this manor, she couldn't blow it yet.

Despite the situation, she immensely prefered the Watch Tower to this giant house. Artemis may have spent several hours training in elaborate compounds, but a lot of her time was spent her apartment in Gotham. Her parents lived there, Jade and herself were born there. It was home.

Three bedrooms, a kitchen and living room along with two bathrooms. When Artemis was an infant to early childhood she had her own room which allowed Jade her own space. However by the time she was six, around the time when her mother was arrested and paralyzed, she and Jade shared a room. It made finding them easier and allowed them use the extra room for exercises and training.

Artemis sighed as she walked down the carpeted halls, her blonde hair hanging loosely around her face. It spent so much Ike in a ponytail that at night she usually let it hang down. On rare occasions would she wear her hair down with anything there to see.

Though Talia often told her to train with it down. If her hair was really that much of a distraction, then it should be cut. Artemis didn't want to cut her hair though, so she would endure it constantly getting in the way until she could work around it. Eventually she managed to, much to Talia's annoyance and approval. The demon heir really just wanted to cut her hair, but she wouldn't take away one of the few freedoms Artemis had.

After several minutes of wandering, Artemis found the kitchen with one light still on. She went to the fridge and got a bottle of water, this way her endless wandering wouldn't leave her empty handed. As she opened the bottle of water, she froze in her spot when she heard faint footsteps and slightly labored breathing.

 _Roy_.

Artemis turned around today we him standing in the doorframe roughly fifteen away from. His eyes were narrowed at her, his Auburn hair darker than normal due to sweat or unless he showered then just water.

"What are you doing," he asked her gruffly.

Artemis held the bottle of water up, but said nothing. The way Jade talked about Roy, Artemis expected him to be more hostile. Apparently he was a teen with anger issues and generally suspicious of his own shadow.

"Cheshire spoke of Alice, I assume that's you," Roy said.

Artemis shrugged, again choosing not to speak. Roy was not someone she wanted to be bothered with. Not because she was afraid, but simply because he was a nuisance she didn't care for. Besides it was only a matter of time before he start asking questions she can't answer. It wasn't the time for a fight.

Roy sighed, clearly agitated, "What, cat got your tongue?"

"I'd rather not waste the air," remarked Artemis, her chin held high, "Besides, anything I say to you will fall on deaf ears. Give Cheshire my regards or don't, either way I don't care."

"I saw her earlier tonight on my patrols," Roy said, his tone flat, "She thinks your dead."

"I know that," hissed Artemis, "What are you trying to say? That it bothers you to see her knowing her sister is alive and say nothing? That you're glad to see us suffer?"

"Suffer," Roy asked with an eyebrow raised, "You think you're suffering? You think she knows what suffering is?"

Artemis growled and moved faster than she ever had. Attacking him would not put her in good standing with the league, but she didn't care. His thinly veiled threat against her sister was not something she would let slide.

At the last second he ducked away from her, his reflexes were fast, but she was faster. Her smaller size and extensive training gave her the advantage she needed to catch his ankle as he tried to flip away. Against a slower target, he would have gotten away and into a defensive stance. Since her hand caught his ankle, she tugged hard stopping his momentum and forcing him to the ground.

In a heartbeat she was on his back, pressing his shoulder blades down with her knees. A hand on each upper arm, the weight of her body keeping him down. There were ways he could escape from her hold, it wasn't very secure and she wasn't very strong. Her words would be brief.

"You would have gotten away if you hadn't tried to show off with a flip," Artemis mocked

"Go to hell," Roy hissed at her, his face pressed against the floor.

Artemis our more weight him on him in warning, she leaned down and bared her teeth as she spoke into his ear, "You don't know anything about my life. Cheshire and I don't get along, but I love her and if add to her pain in anyway, I will kill you."

Roy smirked despite his position, "Threatening me isn't going to help your case here or appearance. You step out of mine and they'll lock you away."

"Hurt my sister and they will do more than lock me away," Artemis challenged.

She shoved him down and got off him, she needed to calm down. Once he told Dinah and Oliver about this incident, the conversation would not go well. Remaining calm during that altercation was a priority.

Artemis took her water and walked away, leaving Roy alone in the kitchen. His own anger rushing through his veins.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter is shorter than I wanted, but it ends on just the right note. Anyway hope you guys enjoy the chapter, a bit of jumping around from place to place, but two new and important faces make an appearance.**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

Roy wanted to go after her, to keepi fighting her until he won like he knew he should have, but he didn't move once he stood up. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but as the echoes of a previous conversation entered his mind with a certain assassin and his anger lessened.

Cheshire was the last person he would dare call a friend, but he could not deny that two had a level of respect for each other. While not enough trust existed, Roy could not deny that there was something between them that neither could entirely deny.

He shut his eyes, the echoes of her voice rang in his ears as the memory came to mind.

" _My sister is-" the assassin stopped speaking, as if the air had taken from her lungs, she forced the words out, "my sister is dead Harper."_

 _Roy stuffened at the use of his last name from her, "Alice right. She's really gone?"_

 _Cheshire glared at him through the mask, "_ Dead _."_

" _What will you do," Roy asked, his eyes narrowing, but his frown conveyed sorrow._

 _Cheshire drew in a sharp breath, she looked away from him out over the city, "I don't know… better watch your back with those good doers. I intend to make a point."_

" _Is that so? Why tell me this," Roy asked with a furrowed brow, "I could go back and te-"_

" _You won't because then you'd had to admit that you haven't entirely lost touch with your quote on quote evil side," Cheshire interrupted darkly, "I'm letting you know because for some reason I'm fond of you. When the League goes to hell, either be prepared or be gone."_

 _Roy stared at her for a moment, "A warning. Warning me of the danger to come."_

 _Cheshire nodded once, "Alice was more valuable to a lot of organizations, more so to her family. When the time is right, your league will pay for her death."_

Roy released a heavy sigh. Dealing with Cheshire may not have been his favorite past time, but it was something he couldn't deny enjoying. Tonight had been different, he saw her pain, could feel it coming off of her and hear it when she spoke.

She warned him to be prepared for an attack, Roy knew he wouldn't be able to tell anyone though. That would cause too many problems, he'd have to play his cards right, but for now, he needed to sleep.

"You shouldn't antagonize her like that," Dinah said coming out from her spot in the shadows, "Our job is to watch her, look out for her, not bait her." Roy crossed his arms over his chest, of course Dinah would be here now.

"She attacked me first," Roy huffed, his tone aggravated.

Dinah raised an eyebrow, "Are you seriously saying _she started it_ now? Artemis is young, she's alone and hiding her terror incredibly well. Her family thinks she's dead, you threaten her sister and she's just supposed take that?"

Roy said rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Has everyone gone mental? She's a child assassin, raised to kill and fight. Just because her family thinks she's dead doesn't give her a pass, neither should her age."

Dinah narrowed her eyes, her voice caused the temperature to turn cold, "Are you seriously being this childish? She's twelve years old, almost thirteen who has spent her whole life being used as a pawn for bigger players and lord knows what she has suffered at their hands. You were imprisoned by the Shadows before, or did you forget their torture? Who's to say she didn't go through worse simply for being born into it!"

Roy released an aggravated breath at her mention of his time in the Shadows hands. How they nearly broke him and he had hardly been the same since then.

"You're transferring your anger at the Shadows onto this girl," Dinah continued, though her tone softened slightly.

"Regardless of what happened with me, I know she is dangerous," Roy replied bitterly.

Dinah acknowledged this, "I never said she wasn't. You were dangerous when Ollie and I took you in, but look at you now. Still dangerous, but fighting for a good cause. Why can't the same be offered to her?"

Roy gave no answer.

"I know the situation is not ideal, but I am asking that you be civil with her," Dinah said, her tone borderline pleading, "Alright? Please don't try to push her."

Roy wanted to argue, he desperately wanted to yell and scream about this entire situation, but he held his tongue. He nodded once and walked away.

* * *

Location: Wayne Manor

Richard, Dick, Grayson liked to think himself observant, especially since the lessons his guardian had given him over the past few months he'd been here. The past couple of days, Dick noticed that something wasn't quite right with Bruce Wayne or Batman.

Both personas had a slight edge to them, especially when he returned from his more frequent visits to the watchtower. Though Batman informed Robin about a new prisoner on the watchtower, he had no idea who it was, where they were from, how they got caught or even why they would be brought to the watchtower.

It seemed crazy to think a prisoner was so dangerous that they had to be close by to the League to be guarded. Though from what Robin had gathered from a conversation he was eavesdropping on the other day, he learned that the prisoner was a girl, Alice and she would be staying with Arrow. The conversation had been between Batman and Wonder Woman.

Dick leaned back in his chair, he had spent the better part of the morning hacking into one of the Leagues softwares trying to find out more about the prisoner. He got in for a solid five minutes before Bruce opened his door, expression a mix of pride and annoyance.

"Dick, what are you doing," Bruce asked walking in, just as his computer crashed due to the virus Bruce placed in it.

"Darn it," Dick said with a dramatic sigh, "I was practicing my hacking and detective skills. I want to learn about the prisoner Alice, but you won't tell me anything so I've had to do digging on my own."

"I said I would tell you once everything was handled, not before or during," Bruce stated, his tone was bored, but Dick could see the faint amusement on his face.

Dick shrugged, he wore a half hearted grin, "I'm impatient. Why is it called impatient anyway? Why not jus say, not patient. Why the im?"

Bruce stared down at the barely eleven year old boy, "Very well. Alice is her code name."

"Yeah, partnered with Cheshire," Dick interrupted, his blue eyes lit up, "From the League of Shadows. A great and near unstoppable duo, hardly ever even seen. I'm pressed."

Bruce shook his head with a faint grin, Robin had a thing about words and finding their middle or neutral form. Pressed meant he wasn't impressed, but he wasn't unimpressed either.

"Yes, well known amongst heroes and villains alike," Bruce replied with a nod, his tone grew serious, "Her real name his Artemis Crock, she's about thirteen years old. Aquaman gave me a tip about Alice and Cheshire, about wanting to get them out of the Shadows."

Dick titled his head to the side, he nodded slowly, "So it was like a rescue mission? Were they forced to do those things?"

"In a manner of speaking, but from what we've gathered she and Cheshire did what they did for reasons involving family," Bruce answered with a sigh, "Artemis is staying with Oliver for the time being. She's providing information about the Shadows and could one day join the Justice League."

Dick grinned at that, "You mean you're considering that proposal I came up with Aqualad and KF?"

"It was never either of your proposals," Bruce stated, his tone a little too cold for Dick's liking, "It's possible and almost likely that you and the others would replace us Leaguers down the line."

"And wouldn't a strike team be a great way to start," said Dick with a knowing look, "None of us are ready now, no where near actually, but I think one day it would be good for us sidekicks to be in your shoes."

"Perhaps," Bruce acknowledged with a nod.

"Anyway, back to Artemis, when can me and the other's meet her," Dick asked leaning forward, looking at Bruce expectantly.

"Who said anything about meeting her," Bruce asked, the question rhetorical.

"I did, just now," Dick answered cheekily, he ran fingers through his raven hair, "Come on Bruce. You can't say it wouldn't be safe, I can handle myself since you taught me well and are still teaching me. You and other leaguers would be there to. Besides I'm sure Roy has already met her because of living arrangements."

"Richard, the answer is no," Bruce said, finality in his voice.

Dick made a face at the use of his name, he replied smoothly enough, "Will you give me a reason why? I've been fighting beside you for weeks, months now even. Soon to be years. What is so bad that I can't meet her? Maybe all she needs is friend."

"And you would do that," Bruce asked surprised, "She is _not_ to be trusted. Do not let her age or appearance fool you."

"I wouldn't trust her, but I don't see the harm in offering her a friend of sorts," Dick said, his tone a bit defensive.

Bruce took a quiet breath, the echoes from the conversation with Diana and Oliver about the girl. How when they saw her in one of the training rooms, they knew she would make an excellent asset. Not to mention how they both thought it would be good for her to meet Robin.

Batman analyzed her abilities in comparison to Robin's, he was biased towards Robin, but he knew Artemis would likely best him in close range. Robin did best away from people, Bruce had a feeling Artemis did better at close range, though he couldn't be sure.

It had intrigued him, the idea of the two of them sparring, but Bruce did not want her near his ward at all. However he knew he was letting his protectiveness of his ward get in the way.

"Fine," Bruce said after a brief moment of pause, "Oliver will be reporting to myself and few other members about her. If she is deemed no longer a severe threat, I will arrange a meeting between the two of you."

Dick's eyes grew wide, he jumped up in excitement, "Yes! I think she'll join us, who wouldn't?"

Bruce shook his head, already regretting his decision.

* * *

Location: Queen Manor

When Artemis woke up the next morning, at five o'clock, she was nervous to leave her room. The anxiety came from her altercation with Roy, she did attack him after all and she felt like she was already on thin ice with the League.

How could she justify her attack? That she was angry or that he threatened her, both were somewhat true, but still. To blow off some steam, she did several exercises and stretches to try and keep her mind off the possible confrontation from either Oliver or Dinah.

It started out as simple exercises, but it quickly turned into her fending off at least ten imaginary attackers. Her skin shined with sweat as she finally stopped her movements to catch her shaky and labored breathing. Stopping was not something she could ever do, the idea was beaten out of her by the time she was eight.

" _You must find a way to keep going," said Talia with a stoic expression as she stared down at the eight year old girl, "Regardless of how tired you are, how sore your muscles have become, how much pain pulses through your body. You must not stop."_

 _Artemis gasped for air, "That's impossible! I'd have to stop, if even for a brief moment."_

 _The dagger Talia held was suddenly at her throat before Artemis could blink. Her eyes widened in surprise, she jumped away, but Talia caught her arm in tight grip. Dark green eyes bore into her grey ones, Artemis swallowed her nerves as she tried to stare defiantly at the young woman._

 _The knife was pressed against her skin, Talia hissed, "You see what happened when you took a moment? I got the upper hand and now, I can kill you with the simple flick of my wrist."_

" _You could, but you won't," Artemis said with hard tone._

 _Talia applies more pressure to the blade, a small bit of blood appeared, "You want to bet I won't?"_

 _Artemis took a shuddering breath, "You can't. You said it yourself, I'm the best heir to the Shadows. You kill me, you deal with the League of Shadows and Ra's Al Ghul. While skilled and powerful, you cannot fend them off."_

 _Talia quirked an eyebrow at the girl, a smirk grew on her face, "Interesting you know that."_

 _Talia shoves Artemis away, she fell onto her back with a thud and gasp as the wind was knocked out of her. The older woman was on top of her in an instant, Artemis struggled to keep her emotions in control as fear began to fill her._

" _Let's take it from the top," Talia said with a sweet smile that looked twisted and sadistic on the woman's face, "If you stop for even a moment, you get a new scar. Understood?"_

Artemis shook the memory away. The cuts along her upper arms were a testament to the technique Talia Al Ghul used against her eight year old self. It was safe to say after that day, Artemis could not stop or hesitate. From that point on, she could only get act after a spit second of thought for her plan.

Those months with the League of Assassins had never been pleasant, but she did learn a lot of her most valuable skills from them. The hours were long, the training harsh, but she handled it better than anyone could have predicted.

Knocks at the door started Artemis bringing her completely back to the present.

"Hey Artemis, it's Dinah," called the Black Canary, "You mind if I come in?"

Artemis scrunched her brow in confusion, wondering why the woman was asking at all.

"Uh, yeah I guess," said Artemis unsurely.

The door opened to reveal Dinah wearing a t-shirt that was too big for her, probably Oliver's Artemis assumed, and black pants. The woman offered her a genuine smile, it didn't ease Artemis' concerns though.

"What did you need," Artemis asked still standing her in her spot, "Is it about last night?"

"Roy shouldn't have said what he did," Dinah told her before the young girl could continue, "Though you shouldn't physically attack him for that, but I won't say he didn't deserve it."

Artemis tilted her head to the side, "Really? I thought you'd be angry."

Dinah shrugged, she folded her arms over her chest, "I'm not pleased, but I'm not angry either. If you must fight back, use your words before your fists."

Artemis glanced away from the woman, those words were opposite to what Artemis had been taught. Even though the assassin didn't always agree with the Shadows, she found it was definitely easier to fight first and talk later.

"I know this isn't easy for you, with what's happened now and throughout your life," Dinah started, her voice sounded understanding and even reassuring, "But Oliver and I will be here to help you. With whatever you need. You may not believe that, but I promise it is true."

Artemis licked her lips, she lifted her head so grey eyes matched the woman's, "I don't believe you like you have no reason to believe in me."

"Maybe not, but I mean what I say," Dinah said with a soft smile, "Now, you like pancakes? Ollie makes the best ones."

Artemis bit her lip, "I've never had them before. Father said they offered no nutritional value, so Jade and I weren't allowed to eat them. Though Jade said they were good when she tried them with her friend."

Dinah made a face of mock offense, it brought a weak smile to Artemis' face, "Now that is tragedy. Come on, you are in for a treat."

* * *

Location: Atlantis

Aqualad had hardly been able to sleep this week, his mind continued to wander back to the girl on the watchtower dubbed Alice. It had taken him far too long to finally reveal her and her sister, he regretted not doing t sooner, but he knew the timing was right.

"Kaldur," said the hero named Aquaman who swam over to the fifteen year old boy.

Aqualad, his real name Kaldur'ahm, turned to look at his mentor and King. His skin was brown like milk chocolate, shaved blond hair and striking teal eyes. The teen bowed to show his respect to the King.

"None of that," said Aquaman with a dismissive hand wave, "What are you doing out here at this hour?"

Kaldur turned away to look out at the open waters, he could make out the city of Atlantis from the balcony, "Much weighs on my mind my king."

"Such as," prompted the Atlantian King.

The young boy answered dejectedly, "The one they recovered from the League of Shadows, Alice."

Aquaman nodded in understanding, "She is safe Kaldur, I assure you as far as I know she is just fine."

"Perhaps," said Kaldur softly, "But it took me too long to finally help her after what she had done for me."

"You burden yourself too much Kaldur, you did everything you could and she is now safe because of your efforts," assured Aquaman with a knowing expressions

The Atlantian teen nodded even though he was not convinced, "If you say so my king."

Aquaman inquired gently, "Are you sure you would not like to see her? I'm sure she would remember you."

"I am sure my king," said Aqualad, his tone and expression sorrowful, "To her I am dead. I feel it would be unwise to overwhelm and add another surprise to her life."

"That's understandable, hopefully you will get the chance to see her again," Aquaman said with a nod, "In the meantime come along Kaldur'ahm."

"Where to your majesty," questioned Aqualad as he came to the King's side.

Aquaman smiled, "A mission of course."

"Of course," echoed Aqualad with a smirk.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hey Leaguers, sorry for the long delay, life has been pretty rough these past few months. I'm thinking about making this story a two parter, the first part focusing on Artemis growing with the League and the second part focusing on her time with the Young Justice team. Undecided at the moment, so let me know what you guys think!

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Artemis had to admit, she was bored. Sitting in 'her room' as she spun around in her desk chair wondering what else could she do with her time. Dinah has decided leaving a twelve year old in her own with nothing to do other than train or watch tv, which Artemis had taken a liking to, that she needed something else. Homework had been added. It was difficult stuff which Artemis didn't necessarily mind so much, she usually completed it quickly enough. The problem came once she was done.

Three months she had remained under house arrest, she had not stepped foot outside this place. Not even on the porch or balcony. The closest she came to setting foot outside was standing too close to the windows. The manor could always have possible paparazzi people hiding somewhere, the last thing anyone here needed was the media realizing Oliver Queen was housing a child other than Roy. Artemis had to agree it would cause problems, but still she was going crazy here.

She stopped spinning to look at the window seat not to far away, the one she technically couldn't use if the curtains were open. They weren't, she had closed them so if she wanted to sit there she could. The spot was mainly used for when she wanted to meditate, otherwise she wouldn't use it often. Though this morning's meditation had gone horribly for the pre teen. Knocks filled her ears, she jumped to her feet and looked to her left at the door.

"Hey Artemis, it's Oliver," called the owner of the house, "Can I come in?"

Artemis sat down again, "Come on in."

Oliver opened the door slowly, "Hey shadow girl, how's it going here?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow at him. It was such a stupid question, though she wouldn't tell him that. She had to remind herself that he wasn't mocking her or trying to be rude, he most likely was just curious and wanted to check on her. The idea seemed weird to her, but everyone she had encountered since her 'arrival' was strange to her.

"Hanging in there," was all Artemis said as she spun away from him to look back at her completed homework.

Oliver walked over to her desk and looked at her work. She felt uncomfortable with him standing beside her and judging her work, but she said nothing to express her discomfort.

"Nice work," praised Oliver with a smile, "You're one smart kid."

Though Artemis enjoyed the praise, she outwardly brushed it off, "It was easy work."

Oliver chuckled, "I'm sure. Anyway I didn't come here to check on your homework, i have something to tell you. A bit of good news."

This intrigued Artemis. Usually if there was news at all, it was simply just updates on the Shadows movements. That was never particularly good or bad, just news to Artemis really. Though she did pay close attention whenever her sister was mentioned, usually Roy was the one to say the most about Cheshire. Their relationship was weird to Artemis, but she had to admit she hoped they remained friends or whatever they were.

Jade was fond of him for some reason, whenever she spoke of him she would have a hint of a smile. That was more than Jade ever gave away at any given time. The only smiles she had were the sadistic ones she had during fights or the victorious ones after a great fight. Talking about the Green Arrow's sidekick showed the slightest genuine smile.

"What news," questioned Artemis as she leaned forward in her chair.

Oliver grinned, "It's safe to say these past three months you have done a great job here."

Artemis scoffed, she folded her arms over her chest, "Yeah I've done great. All I do is sit here."

"No, you do work and train and behave for the most part," Oliver pointed out.

As any child or teenager, there were bound to be moments of rebellion and disobedience. Artemis never tried to run away or attack them unless in training, however she wouldn't do what Dinah asked or listen to Oliver at times. They were few and far between, but still existed. She was never seriously docked for them, if anything she just lost a privilege here and there.

Artemis had little here she held onto or enjoyed, the worst punishment she had was not having her music pod. Her time here had allowed her to see more areas of life she had completely missed due to her isolated childhood. Music was something she greatly enjoyed, listening and creating some of her own. Dinah had taught her how to play the violin which she picked up on so quickly, the archer had been blown away as were Dinah and Roy.

Roy and Artemis actually bonded over music, they created various playlists and Roy even helped her play some guitar chords. However music was the only time when the wards of Oliver Queen were not fighting or trying to avoid each other.

"Well what's the news," Artemis prompted, an expectant look on her face.

"Tomorrow you and I are going on a trip," said Oliver with a grin that screamed he knew something she didn't.

Artemis nodded, "Okay where? You secretly planning to lock me up?"

Oliver sighed heavily, "We've been over this. That isn't ever going to happen."

Artemis shrugged unconvincingly, "Whatever."

"Tomorrow morning at around eight, we're going to Wayne Manor," continued Oliver, "You're going to meet someone."

"The boy wonder," Artemis asked in surprise, "I'm shocked, why would the Gotham bat agree to that? There's no way it was his idea. He hates me."

"Bruce hates everyone," Oliver said with a dismissive wave.

Artemis rolled her eyes, but said nothing in reply.

"It wasn't his idea, myself and the other leaguers think it would be good for the both of you," Oliver informed her.

That also took Artemis by surprise, "Why?"

Oliver sighed, he decided to take a seat on her unoccupied footstool as he thought of answer. The plan to bring Artemis fully into League was still under debate. Arrow and Wonder Woman were the most on board with the idea, Batman was the most against the idea. Superman, Flash and Green Martian were rooting for Artemis, but allied slightly with Batman for the sake of covering all possible issues with having the heir to villainy in their midst.

Robin wanted to meet Artemis anyway, but Batman refused until he knew Artemis was for the most part tamed. The reports were in her favor for sure, now she would be introduced to the future of league and see someone her own age. It was meant to be a form of exposure. For her to see what her life could be like if she continued down her current path and eventually joined the league.

"It's no secret that there are talks about bringing you into the league," Oliver said honestly as he rested his arms on his thighs, "Allowing you to see Robin is a chance for you to see what your life could be like. Training as a heroes sidekick until you become your own hero. Joining this more than dysfunctional family we have."

Artemis glanced away from the archer, an expression of defeat and pain on her face. Of course she knew about the proposed idea, it was the only reason they were protecting her. Down the line she would be an asset, the heroes had praised her abilities in combat when they saw her. Not only was her information useful, but her fighting capabilities would be incredibly useful to their fight.

Her fighting skills were also the real reason she was allowed to keep training, so if she did continue to be cooperative with the League she would be able to keep her skills sharp. If she chose not to, then at least they would see the weaknesses she had and couldn't hide forever. Either which way, the heroes got something out of it.

"That would be the ultimate betrayal to my family, to everything I was raised to believe," Artemis hissed, her eyes focused on anything but the billionaire.

"I understand and I know that's a sore subject, but i do want you aware of what this is," Oliver continued in a softer tone, "But look at it this way. I know you're a little too old for this, but it's like a play date."

Artemis looked back at Oliver with an annoyed expression, "I'm almost thirteen."

Oliver raised his arms in surrender, "I did say you're too old for that term, but you know what I meant."

Artemis didn't say anything. Though she was curious to know what the boy wonder was like, she was not thrilled by the idea of meeting him or seeing the infamous bat again. While she had to respect the Gotham protector for his ability to hold his own against any opponent and his intelligence, she borderline despised him. Oliver noticed Artemis hesitate.

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to and I can cancel right now," Oliver told her seriously, his eyes never leaving hers.

The option to join the League would fall to her, no one would force her to join the Justice League. If she was going to stay, it had to be her decision. Even though Artemis wasn't entirely sure how true that was, she had to admit that having the option to say no was nice.

"No, keep it," Artemis replied, a weak grin formed on her face, "Maybe it will sway my opinion."

Oliver nodded, over these few months he really hoped Artemis would remain with the League somehow. While she had volunteered little information about herself, he felt that he was really getting to know the preteen. A general well balanced child despite the instability of her life and upbringing. Her heart was good, that much could be seen.

"Great," said Oliver as he stood, "Now, I don't know about you, but we just got chocolate chips and flour and eggs."

Artemis smirked as she stood from her chair as well, "Chocolate chip pancakes?"

Oliver winked at her, "You know it shadow girl."

Artemis followed Oliver to the kitchen where the ingredient were set out on the counter, ready to be made into pancakes. It was weird for Artemis to cook or bake with Oliver or Dinah, it was even weirder to play music with Roy in the basement and actually get along. If she didn't think on it, she could pretend that she was the daughter of Dinah and Oliver Queen, she could pretend that Roy was her annoying brother. She could pretend she had a real family who only wanted the best for each other.

Artemis tried not to think about that or the talk for the rest of the day. She tried to ignore the thoughts while she ate pancakes with DInah and Oliver, she tried not to think about it as she listened to Roy's new playlist, she tried not to think about it when she was doing another assignment Dinah had given her. Though try as she might, the conversation haunted her. The only thing that managed to slightly distract her was training.

The gym where Oliver trained was where she was allowed to practice as well, though the Green Arrow did put some safety provisions much to Artemis' annoyance. If not for her charm bracelet blocking her access, she would have disabled them. Today was just workouts, her favorite and one she had never done before was the salmon ladder. Artemis stared at the forest green bar and the black rails that would hold it up, a wry smile formed on her face.

Her father would have loved this. She remembered when she was really young, when her father wasn't as harsh and cruel as he was now, when her mother had been around.

" _I don't," huffed a small Artemis as she hung from the monkey bars her father had built in the basement, "like pull… ups."_

 _Her father didn't reprimand her or yell at her that he didn't care. Instead, he wore a small smile as he chuckled lightly at his daughter's words._

 _He answered gently, "If you happen to be hanging from a really high place baby girl, you're going to want to be able to do a pull up."_

 _Artemis sighed as she did another one, "Still."_

 _Lawrence Crock ruffled his daughter's blonde hair, "Five more, then we're done for the day."_

Artemis shook the memory away and got to work.

 **Wayne Manor**

Dick had just changed out of his Robin costume and into pajamas, though sleep wouldn't find him. He was too excited about tomorrow. Tomorrow, Oliver Queen was bringing Artemis, her unoriginal code name was Shadow Girl. When they arrived at the manor, Bruce Wayne would bring them inside for a brief tour and to discuss some business plans.

In the meantime, Dick would entertain Oliver's new ward who had yet to be discovered by the world. It was going to be a great time, Dick was sure of it. He spent most of his time with adults when it came to the league, Roy was a teenager and even though Dick was mature for his age, he still acted too much like a child for Roy's taste. Aqualad wasn't much better, he was older as well and far too much of a small adult to have as much fun as Dick wanted.

It was getting pretty lonely. At school he had a lot of friends like Barb, but she didn't know about the struggles he faced at night, no one else did. He couldn't share it with anyone or risk putting them in danger. His hope was that if Artemis chose to stay they could become friends and share the same burden. It was wishful thinking, but Dick could hope for the best.

Sleep came and went for Dick, before he knew it his alarm had gone off, his clock glowing the 5:00 am. He blinked the sleepiness away, jumped out of bed and headed downstairs to meet Bruce. This was going to be great.

When eight o'clock did roll around, Dick was a ball of energy, far too much for the calm Bruce Wayne to be bothered with. Though he was pleased to see his ward in such high spirits, he would have preferred that his adopted his son be more excited about other events going on instead of the assassin being allowed into his home. It was bad enough that she knew their secret identities, seeing the inside of his home made it worse. The Green Arrows words echoed in his mind.

 _I'm telling you Bats, she is not as dangerous to us as you think. She really is just a kid with a poor background._

 _I fail to see how that is relevant to allowing her here._

 _You know it's in discussion for allowing her to join in the ranks of League one day, let's not forget the real reason why she hasn't been sent away. The others agreed, based on her progress reports it's time to start working her into it._

"Bruce," Dick called, his voice rising in volume.

Bruce glanced at his ward hiding his surprise, "Yes Richard."

Dick raised an eyebrow at his birth name, "You alright? I called your name at least ten times and you didn't answer. Are you really that concerned about letting her come here?"

"You know the importance of our identities being kept a secret," Bruce reminded the boy, "She is an assassin with known ties to one of our greatest enemies, should she managed to escape she will not only have our names, but she will know the inner workings of this place. How is your excitement for a play date overshadowing the dangers of this situations?"

If not for the tone, Dick would have made a remark about the play date wording. However since Bruce was technically scolding him, he had to admit his adopted father and mentor was right. An unknown threat was coming into their home, would see their real faces and could potentially use that information against them. Dick had a good feeling that she wouldn't do that, but he didn't know her. There was really no telling what she would or wouldn't do.

Dick adjusted his blazer as he replied hesitantly, "She gave you the SD card and told you all that she knew. It may not mean much, but it was a step in the right direction. None of us are perfect, we have all done things we aren't proud of. Maybe all she needs is a chance. It's not her fault that she grew up in that anymore than it's your fault you grew up in this one."

Bruce was prepared to reply, but halted when the sound of the doorbell rang. Company had arrived.

"We'll finish this discussion later," said Bruce with a sigh, he clicked on phone that was sitting on his desk, "Alfred, please let our guest in."

"Certainly Master Bruce," came the reply.

Bruce and Dick stood in silence for the next few moments while they waited for the company and Alfred to arrive in the foyer.

Finally Bruce spoke, "You are too keep your guard up at all times and watch her every move, I will quiz you on what you noticed and we will compare notes."

Dick sighed, but nodded nonetheless signaling he understood.

Alfred ententes the room then, "Oliver Queen and his young ward have arrived."

Oliver stepped into the foyer after the butler wearing a forest green blazer and black pants. He smiled broadly at Bruce and Dick, but didn't say anything yet. The green hero looked to the side to see Artemis has yet to join him, she was standing hidden from the hosts. For a moment she looked like a shy child and the sight threw Oliver for a loop. Oliver offered an encouraging smile, trying to convey to her that he was right here.

Even though Artemis was more comfortable with him, he knew there was still a long way to go. Artemis could honestly say she did have some faith in Oliver, daresay she trusted him. Maybe not 100%, but enough that it meant a lot to her and little did she know to him. The Bat of Gotham was someone Artemis didn't trust, being entirely in his domain was unsettling to Artemis and she hadn't considered just how much she was not looking forward to the idea of being here.

At first it hadn't really been a cause of concern, but now as she stood here, it was troubling. The young blonde noticed Oliver giving her an encouraging look, a message that told her he was here and that he wouldn't let her fall. Artemis mentally kicked herself, Talia and her father would have had such a fit to see her acting this way.

She was supposed to act unafraid regardless of how terrified she might have been. The young pre-teen steeled herself, calling on the words of her mentor for the first time in weeks as she walked forward showing herself to the bat and his pet bird. Despite her protests, Artemis wore a white blouse with green dessy pants that Dinah had forced her to wear. This previous anger Artemis held at the song and dance from this morning fueled her, the initial concern for being in this place gone.

The boy with raven hair, Dick Grayson, smiled at her, "Welcome to Wayne manor."

Bruce acknowledged his guests with a nod and slightly narrowed eyes, "Arrow. Shadow girl."

"Guess you woke up on the wrong side of the batcave," Oliver said with a light chuckle, knowing just how much Bruce hated any of the leaguers in his home, "Artemis I know you're familiar with Bruce, now meet his ward."

"Richard Grayson," acknowledged Artemis, "Ten years old, born to John and Mary Grayson from the circus in Romania."

Dick swallowed at the mention of his parents, but quickly pushed the thoughts aside as he grinned smoothly, "I mainly go by Dick, but yeah that's me."

Dick extended his hand to Artemis, his smile never wavered. Artemis hesitantly looked at his hand, wondering why he was holding it out to her. Though she knew what a handshake was, she wasn't sure why he intended to do it to her now. Handshakes were meant to see if someone had a weapon up their sleeve for a meeting, not pleasantry as far as she was concerned. However after leaving his hand in midair for long enough, she took it with a plastic smile.

"Pleasure," said Artemis as she lowered her hand.

Dick continued to grin, "Glad you both could make it. What's on the agenda today Bruce?"

Bruce answered his ward in a neutral tone, "You will be entertaining our guest, you know where you can and cannot go. Alfred will be monitoring the both of you. In the meantime, Oliver and I have some important business to discuss."

Artemis struggled not to roll her eyes, she knew they would be talking about her mostly with a few other topics mixed in. At least that is what Oliver had told her before their departure this morning. Whether or not Artemis cared what they discussed had yet to be determined. It was not something she was unfamiliar with.

She was used to adults always talking about her and analyzing her every movement when she stepped onto the floor or went on an assignment. Artemis flicked her gaze to Oliver, the conversation about a spar happening with the boy wonder would occur. When or where exactly would be decided in the coming hours depending on how long she and the green crusader remained here. Dick nodded to show his mentor he understood.

"You hungry," asked Dick with a twinkling smile, "Alfred makes the best french toast ever."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. Dinah had told her french toast was not bread from France toasted, but a combination of batter, eggs and bread put together to make a breakfast delicacy. Whipped cream and fruits were sometimes added, along with chocolate. It sounded okay in theory.

"I've never had it before," commented Artemis with a shrug.

Dick's eyes widened in horror, Artemis couldn't tell if it was real or fake, "I'm appointed in you, but cited to see your reaction when you try them."

"What," Artemis questioned at his word choice, "You mean _dis_ appointed and _ex_ cited?"

Dick smirked, "In a manner of speaking. Come on, follow me."

Artemis followed Dick and Alfred out of the foyer with one last look at Oliver who nodded his end in encouragement. Once the trio was gone, Bruce turned to the fireplace and moved a statue. After a few moments, the fire disappeared and a opening leading to a staircase was revealed. Oliver could not get over how many secret entrances Wayne manor had. The Queen heir was almost jealous of the bat.

"I still do not like the assassin in my house," said Bruce as he descended the stairs with Oliver behind him.

The Green Arrow snickered, "You don't like anyone in your house. Come on Bruce, Artemis is harmless."

"Interesting use of the word harmless," commented Bruce as he walked briskly.

"Okay, she is dangerous, but no more dangerous than you and I," Oliver tried to explain.

The dark knight looked over his shoulder, "Is that so?"

Oliver sighed heavily, "You know what I am trying to say. She's just a kid with a lot of talent who was raised with a less than desirable upbringing. It's not her fault she grew up in the Shadows anymore than it is our fault we grew up in lives of privilege. Give her a chance."

"Show me the reports you and DInah have made," Bruce said sternly as he and Oliver entered the batcave, "Then I will _consider_ what you have said."

Oliver frowned, but nodded in reply. It would be a long journey before Bruce warmed up in the slightest to the idea of Artemis no longer being a threat, but this would be a good place to start.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Dick and Artemis get to spar in today's chapter. Fight scenes are not my strong suit, but I think I did a good job at writing this one. I've got another two weeks left of school, so I have a strong feeling a lot more writing will get down and I can't wait. Alright, well enough chatting. Here is the next chapter :).**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Dick had given her a tour of just about anything that Bruce could not complain about. Mainly the kitchen and surrounding area, anything that alluded to the Batcave and their alter egos was near the foyer and in the library. Artemis had been analyzing everything around here, she had seen a layout of the Manor before and it matched her memory. While she had to say she enjoyed Dick's almost contagious energy, she was growing tired of his near constant chatter. When they arrived to the foyer once again, a circle having been made, Artemis cut to the chase.

"I know you have been analyzing my every move since we arrived Richard," stated Artemis as they stood across each other in the empty room, "You do realize what this is all about right?"

Dick smirked, "If the two of us did not have different identities outside these walls, I imagine this could be similar to a betrothal. And Dick, not Richard."

Artemis folded her arms across her chest, "This is about putting us against each other. A blatant review."

"No, this is about showing you what your life could be like if you stay with Green Arrow and join the Justice League," Dick told her matter factly.

She scoffed, "A sidekick."

"Have to start somewhere," he replied with a shrug.

Artemis glanced away from him, the echoes of conversations about her possible stay turning permanent. Deep down, she had to wonder what it would be like to stay here and continue the rest of her life fighting for a different cause.

"How about I make you a deal," Dick said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Artemis made a quizzical expression, "What kind of deal?"

Dick grinned impishly, "Talk about who would win in a fight between us has been circling the Leaguers. So let's spar."

"Where does the deal come in," questioned Artemis.

"If I win, you should give the league a real chance," offered Dick.

Artemis wanted to argue against that, but she kept her mouth shut. Of course she knew about their skills being pitted against each other, making a wager on it had not crossed her mind though. She knew the boy wonder was skilled, she could beat master assassins in a fight of hand to hand combat, even with their tricks. A barely eleven year old acrobat shouldn't be too much of a challenge, though she wouldn't underestimate him. After all, people underestimated her all the time and sorely regretted it.

"And when I win," Artemis prompted, "What do I get?"

"Let's just say, I owe you a favor. Anything you wish and I have to pay up," Dick extended his hand to Artemis, "Deal?"

Artemis smiled confidently, she took his hand, "Deal. Where will this spar take place?"

"Follow me."

* * *

Bruce had read over the report three times, it seemed Artemis was adjusting well enough and had only stepped out of line in small childlike ways. Stealing cookies from the top shelf, staying up until the early hours despite curfew, arguing about what was fair and what wasn't. IF Bruce were not in his Batman headspace, he would have showed his amusement.

"Well Batman," said Oliver leaning back in his seat, "What do you say?"

"I say on paper she appears like a child in need of more discipline," commented the Bat.

Oliver only narrowed his eyes slightly, "She's well behaved, but that comes from her strict and harsh upbringing. She deserves some freedom and leeway given the circumstances."

"I'm sure," Bruce remarked dryly, "She still has a ways to go before she can be seriously considered trustworthy. For all we know, her cooperating is only a means to an end."

Oliver had considered that, "It is possible, but I believe she's more confused about where to stand than anything. I think she just needs a push in our direction."

"You're putting too much faith into this."

"And you aren't putting in enough."

"Artemis is still a threat to the League."

"She's almost thirteen."

"The fact that she is a minor does not lessen the threat she poses Oliver," said Bruce a bit too sharply.

"All she needs is a chance," Oliver said, a hint of pleading in his voice, "We have a real shot at getting her on the right track. If she's ever going to have some faith in us, we have to put a little faith in her."

Bruce leaned back on his chair, slightly contemplating those words. While it made sense to him, the risk that this child posed was far too much to simply turn a blind eye too. The Green Arrow and Batman had a few things in common besides having rich alter ego's. That being the children they took under their wing. It was likely both of them would continue this practice of taking in a ward and bringing them into the vigilante lifestyle.

"Master Bruce," said Alfred as he descended the stairs.

Bruce looked to him, "What is it Alfred?"

Both heroes stood as Alfred approached them, a slightly grave look upon his usually stoic face. While Oliver knew that it made sense for Artemis not to be with him due to Bruce not wanting her near the bat cave and with keeping Dick out for the time being, he got a feeling of unease.

"It appears young master Dick thought it a wise idea to challenge miss Artemis to a spar in the training grounds," explained Alfred simply, "I thought it suitable to inform you so that you do not worry yourself should the fight appear on the monitor."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "And it was Dick's idea?"

Alfred nodded, "Yes sir."

"Dick may have offered it, but Artemis definitely wouldn't say no to a challenge," commented Oliver as he folded his arms, "Come on Bats, let's go watch."

"Are you entertained by this," questioned Bruce with a narrowed gaze.

Oliver nodded with sideways grin, "It's only a spar. Both are skilled fighters and I doubt either of them would hurt the other."

Bruce replied, "One of those fighters happens to be an assassin."

"You trained Dick well, he can handle this."

* * *

Dick Grayson did not realize how difficult this would be. At first when he and Artemis arrived to the training, both in a white t shirt and black pants, he had expected the spar would not leave him breathless in the first two minutes. There was a timer to see how long they could go, Artemis insisted.

He punched right, hit nothing but air. As she dodged to his left she through a punch. Her fist, his face. The sting was sharp, the ache would dull. A kick managed to hit his side. Sharp then dull. He back flipped away, just out of her reach. He landed. She kicked high, he went low and through a kick of his own. His bare foot felt the contact of her shirt, nothing more.

A smirk grew on her face; she swung hitting his cheek. He fell to the ground, but jumped back up to his feet as quick as he could. Not quick enough. Her foot collided with his side, forcing him to skid across the arena several feet away. He rolled onto his feet a bit shakily, but his arms up ready to fight. He couldn't predict her movements like he could with other opponents. A tell tale by a motion here or another there, but her movements seemed to be every changing.

Her next series of attacks were explosive, a punch here, slice through the air enough to hear its cut. Dick barely managed to avoid their ferocity. Though he wanted to say she was going hard on him, he could tell by the fact her breathing had remained for the most unchanged and no sweat could be seen on her exposed skin. The best defense is a good offense, he knew that, but if he was going to land a hit he would need to get past her own offensive strategy.

Artemis had to admit she was having a lot of fun, though based on the first thirty seconds, she realized Dick may have been well trained, but he was not a match for her. She had given him too much credit. Her abilities outmatched his and if she wanted to end the fight quickly she would, but she didn't. It was fun to spar like this, besides fighting an acrobat had not been something she had a lot of experience with. The next time they fought, she would challenge him to a fight on a high platform and in the air.

She kept her attacks explosive in one martial art form, but would switch to another followed by another in order to make sure he couldn't predict her movements or find a pattern. While she definitely had tell tales, she planned to change her maneuvers enough so that he couldn't find them.

Dick stood there, slightly hunched over with his hands raised as he breathed heavily watching her. He glanced at the clock, 2:36, he could barely breathe. Though he was good at dodging her attacks, she was insanely fast. Dick wasn't sure if the Flash could even move that quickly.

She performed a roundhouse kick his way, Dick barely dodged the attack. Artemis used the already built up momentum sent another kick his way, this time hitting his chest. Dick collapsed for a second, but rolled away from her punch. Her fist collided with the mat, the thud filling the otherwise silent arena. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dick was just about to get himself grounded.

Ducking to the ground until she was practically squatting, she swung her leg around effectively knocking him off his feet. He landed harshly, but performed a reverse somersault away. He found his way into his feet, fist up halfway, sweat coating his skin. Artemis had one flyaway and a bead of sweat on her brow. In all honesty, she was going easy on him. Based on what she remembered reading, he had only been Robin for a year. While a skilled acrobat, combat was not up to parr.

"That the best you got," jabbed Dick with a mischievous smile.

No gadgets were to be used, but Artemis was waiting for one to make an appearance. After all, no one in her training ever played fair. Her eyes flickered to the clock 3:17. With his gadgets he would likely have a better chance at defeating her, especially since she knew he was good at tricks and using the area around him to his advantage. However in this open arena, he could only rely on himself.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Artemis smirked.

Dick took to the offensive, he charged and through punches. A right, she dodged it. A left, she blocked it with ease. He kicked hard, all he hit was air. He tried his left foot. She caught his ankle and pulled him sharply forward. Dick through his right hand as he fell to catch her off guard. Her left hand pushed his arm away sharply, causing him to fall. Artemis moved her body around his until he was above her and she threw him to the ground.

He landed harshly, before he could blink Artemis was top of him. Right leg in a side lungs position, left leg on his chest. Her right forearm at his throat, her left hand on the mat.

Artemis smiled, "I win."

Dick took a deep breath, "The match isn't over."

Artemis tilted her head, "It is. I have you pinned and you haven't tried to get out."

Just then, Dick propelled his weight up. It shook Artemis's hold enough for Dick to get her off him and onto the floor. He moved to pin her, but her hand was too quick. The punch collided with his shoulder, shunning his attack and giving Artemis the upper hand. On her feet again, she kicked Dick back as he struggled to keep his balance. She swiped at his feet, he fell to the ground. Artemis pounced on top of him, her hold more secure. After a second, she pushed herself off of him and stood tall.

"You held your own better than expected," Artemis replied with a pleased grin.

"The fight isn't over," said Dick climbing onto his feet.

Artemis held up five fingers and counted, "It is in three, two, one."

Bruce and Oliver walked through the now open doors to see the pre-teens standing there in the center of the arena. The boy wonder sighed, if Bruce watched the entire match he was sure that several more circuits would be in his future. The two adults stood at the edge, their respective wards coming to stand in front of them.

Oliver looked at Artemis with a knowing expression, with a bit of curiosity. He noticed during the fight she wasn't trying, he had seen her spar with Dinah and with himself, she held nothing back. Even went as far as hitting pressure point to render her opponent useless. That had not been a fun evening for Oliver. Yet here, she held back. Later he would ask her why, but for now he wouldn't make a comment. Though judging by the look in her eyes, Oliver had a feeling he knew why she went easy.

"Not bad kids," Oliver complimented grinning.

"It was adequate," commented Bruce, his expression displeased.

Dick sighed, definitely more circuits by that tone, "Artemis is pretty good. I pity her enemies."

Artemis nudged him, "You aren't so bad yourself boy wonder. Though I bet you rely too heavily on your gadgets."

"They come in handy more often than not," replied Dick with his sideways grin, "Best two out of three."

Artemis was prepared to agree, but Oliver stepped in, "Sorry you two, but Artemis and I need to go."

Artemis frowned, "Already? You two finish everything?"

"The discussion is far from over," Bruce answered, to her surprise, "But based on what I have seen, it looks sufficient."

Dick nudged her shoulder, he muttered, "That's a compliment."

Oliver nodded in agreement, he smiled at Artemis with she assumed was pride. Her heart skipped a beat at the look, but she felt herself smile under his gaze and stand it a bit straighter. There were few moments in her life she knew someone was proud of her, each one was special and she had a feeling this one would be added to that small list.

Bruce continued, "Your fighting capabilities appear to be that of a master in their trade aside from a few missteps. You don't have a focused one."

Artemis shook her head, "If I was going to be a martial artist, I had to know them all."

Artemis glanced away, doing her best to ignore the lump that was forming in her throat. If she was going to do something, she had to be the best in all areas. There was no room for error or anything less than perfect. It was no way to live, but it was her life.

"I see," was Bruce said on the subject, "It was a pleasure to have you and Oliver here today."

Dick spoke next, "Why don't you two stay a bit longer?"

Oliver answered that, "Sorry Dick. I have some work to do and Dinah needs Artemis for the afternoon."

Artemis made a face, Dinah was likely going to give her even more assignments to work on. Though she hoped maybe Dinah would have her play some instruments, that was actually incredibly fun. She would dare say as fun as fighting, maybe not the exact same amount, but it came extremely close. A spark of excitement went through Artemis at the thought.

"Perhaps another time," said Bruce, "We'll walk you out."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter is really short, but it's been so long since I last posted so I wanted to get something out there. Sorry all, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Jade was annoyed. Sitting here in this little dark room in front of the infamous heir to the League of Assassins was not at all how she wanted to spend her Saturday night. With the loss of two of three potential heirs, Jade knew this was coming. Technically speaking, she had been out of the running as official heir for years now. Artemis was the heir, it was her right. In the beginning, Jade would have taken it then passed it to Artemis and Manta's son and the two of them would have had a child to take the league after them. Plans had changed before, no wonder they would change again.

"Glaring at me is not going to change what I said or the circumstances," said the assassin heiress, her sharp eyes looking colder than usual.

It didn't bother Jade in the slightest, "It doesn't, but I'll keep glaring just the same."

"As disrespectful as always huh Jade," the assassin replied with a head shake, "You are only holding the role of heir until another one can be found or Artemis proved alive."

Jade hissed through clenched teeth, "My sister is dead, do not _disrespect_ her life on some witch hunt Talia."

Talia clicked her tongue, "That body was not hers."

"I don't want hear that, she's gone," Jade said looking away.

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt you know," Talia remarked dryly.

Jade felt her throat tighten. Artemis had said something to that affect years ago during a training session at one of the many places that the League of Assassins occupied. Her sister being gone in this way had hurt Jade more so than she was originally prepared for. Every night she cried for the lost girl and held onto her sister's teddy bear because it was all she could find of Artemis's that wasn't taken away as her training progressed.

Talia had taken the loss of Artemis personally, even going as far as to investigate the scene of the incident, Artemis' body and even attending her funeral. Artemis was far more important than Jade had originally believed when it came to the people around them.

"The Lazarus Pit had no effect on the body," Talia explained with a tone of mild irritation.

Jade snapped her gaze back on her, horror and anger filled her eyes.

"How dare you." The blacked haired young adult jumped to her feet, anger flared in her chest, "You tried to use that vile resurrection trick on a child!"

Talia sighed exasperated, "Artemis was not the first child, nor would she have been last. The pit has worked on others in far worse condition."

"The Lazarus Pit only works on someone with any bit of life left in them, it does not literally raise the dead," Jade said hotly, but she paused as she became unsure.

"It does in fact raise the dead, it's pathetic you don't know that Cheshire," Talia remarked dryly, "If that had been Artemis' body, then she would have come back to life."

Jade struggled not to growl, "As I recall, the last charred to bits person you tried to resurrect was gone."

Talia quirked an eyebrow, "Perhaps, but that case was much different and even then we got some life back into them."

Jade refused to acknowledge that, "Artemis was long gone then or she just didn't want to come back. Let her soul rest."

Talia released a breath, "You're wrong Jade. The Lazarus Pit will pull any soul back, regardless of whether or not they want to return. Not even Artemis would have been strong enough to resist the pull. She's not gone."

"Get out," Jade growled, she threw her arm to the side to point at the door, "Get the hell out of here Talia. Artemis is dead, you delivered your message now go."

The assassin heir stood silently, she walked to the door and paused for a moment. Even though Jade was not her favorite person, the two of them had a common pain and that was Artemis.

"I miss her too," Talia admitted, "When you are ready to accept that she is alive, you can help me find her."

Talia didn't wait for Jade to answer, she simply walked out and let the door close behind her. Anger boiled in Jade's veins, she flipped the table as a howl escaped her lips along with hot tears.

* * *

A week had passed since Artemis had been to Wayne Manor, seven full days of training, homework, games and a lot of movies. Oliver had gifted Artemis with two cell phones, she thought that was unnecessary, but he claimed one was for emergencies incase one was either broken, stolen or dead. Artemis still thought it was too much, this was one of the reasons her and Jade scoffed at people with too much money.

The Green Crusader wouldn't back down though, so she took the phones. Dinah had taken more of an interest in the homework she was doing, giving a few more tests which didn't make sense to Artemis. They were standardized tests rather than the previous work she had done, why Dinah was giving these for her to do didn't make any sense. Even Roy was acting a little out of it, mostly by asking her more questions about her home life in the broad sense. Nothing about training, at least not the physical kind.

Now sitting at the dining room table on a Saturday afternoon, she understood why.

"I'm going to school," Artemis said, her expression still incredulous, "Really? You think that's a good idea?"

Dinah answered on her right, "It's perfect. You've done great these three months with us, besides it would be a good idea to get you around more people your age."

Artemis wasn't sure about that, "I'm pretty sure most girls my age are immature and care too much about boy bands and perfume."

"Possibly," Oliver said, "But keeping you locked up here isn't healthy. Besides, when was the last time you were with someone close to your age, ignoring Robin?"

Artemis sighed, "Manta's son? He counts."

Roy spoke next, "Maybe we shouldn't throw her into middle school, I mean those years can be tough. Besides she has no previous experience in a school setting except for the few 'classes' she had with the League of Assassins"

"Good to know your questions from before weren't for getting to know me, why do you care if I go to school," Artemis remarked.

Roy smirked, "You're a dangerous assassin and a security hazard to the middle school and high school next door."

Artemis huffed, but said nothing else in response.

"All the paperwork is in order, along with your new identity," Dinah explained, "You'll be going to Star City Preparatory School, Roy goes there as well and _will,_ " she gave him a stern look, "watch out for you."

Roy nodded, "Don't worry, I'll be watching her. Make sure she stays out of trouble and that no one gives her any trouble."

He looked serious and almost sincere about that, which Artemis found odd. Little did she know about the conflict Roy was facing when it came to tbe preteen. His meetings with Cheshire had been less since her sister's 'demise' and Roy found himself wanting to tell her that Artemis was alive. Over the time he had gotten to know Jade, he had never seen her like this. Her hair was always out, untamed like her personality. She burned like a fire, ready to destroy everything in her path if it was in her way.

That Jade wasn't around since Artemis' demise. This Jade wore her back, put together that looked unlike her and made her seem a little more terrifying in a fight. She no longer burned like fire, she burned like ice instead. He didn't like seeing her in pain either, to know that she was suffering from the worst loss and he was just watching when he knew there was something he could do to help her. However it was too risky.

Jade may have talked a good game about leaving the Shadows and even getting her sister out, but that didn't mean she would. There was a chance that Jade would bring Artemis right back to the Shadows which not only would put the entire League in danger, but place Artemis back into the life she clearly didn't want anymore. Roy may not have been her biggest fan, but after learning more of how she grew up, he decided he wouldn't let her go back to that life. Of course he would never admit this to anyone though.

"I do not want to go to some fancy rich kid school," Artemis said shaking her head.

Dinah frowned, "Come on Artemis, it won't be so bad. You might really enjoy it."

"Besides it gives you a chance to be with some regular kids," Oliver added coming to Dinah's aid.

"She's not a regular kid," Roy huffed, he leaned back and said, "She isn't normal."

Artemis glared at the teenager across from her. While she knew it was just a fact, the way he said it made it seem more like an insult. It stung slightly, not that she would ever admit it.

"Is that supposed to be insult, you aren't exactly an average teen yourself," Artemis commented sourly.

Roy was ready with a remark of his own, but stopped himself. The look on her face reminded him too much of Jade's when he said something she found offensive. Though Artemis and Jade didn't resemble each other too closely, their similarities appeared more so in expressions than simply features. It gave him a pause and he swallowed his words. Guilt gnawed at his stomach, what would Jade say if she found out that he had been living with her dead sister?

When Roy didn't respond, Oliver stepped in, "Artemis look. This isn't a punishment and we don't want to force you to go, but we do think it would be benefit you to be around some kids your age, see what life is like as regular girl."

"But I'm not regular," Artemis argued, "Why should I try to be one?"

Dinah put a hand on Artemis's shoulder, "Because it will show that there are other ways to live your life. Come on, just give it a chance and if you really hate that school, we can always find another one."

Artemis frowned at that. Though she had a mild interest in a school setting, she also really didn't want to be bothered with girls her age. Especially when she was certain she would hardly be able to fit in and would likely not find any friends. She had never had any friends, why should she try if she was just going to stick out and likely not make any regardless? However she knew this was a losing battle, they wanted her to go and so she had little choice in the matter.

She sighed, "Okay, okay. I'll go, but I won't like it."

Dinah grinned excited, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Now come on, we have to get you a uniform."

Artemis groaned, "Shopping and a uniform, I didn't sign up for that."

Dinah placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder, "It won't be so bad. Come on, we can even get pizza and ice cream after."

Artemis didn't need to be told twice, she practically flew out of her seat and called, "Well let's go."

Oliver and Dinah laughed at that, Artemis had a great love for pizza and ice cream, more so than anything else. Apparently training as she had never allowed for junk food or to try much of anything that wasn't excessively healthy. Roy watched where Artemis had run off to and a slightly smile could be seen on his face.

No, the kid was not growing on him. She may have had Oliver and Dinah hooked after the first week, but it was that moment for some reason that Roy decided he would have her back. No matter what.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I've hit a wall in writing this story. I know where I want this story to end up, but most of the ideas I have for it are meant for later down the line, at least time wise. So next chapter will be a big time jump and sprinkled into the story will be flashbacks to her time here. Young Justice missions and such will be coming to this story sooner than expected. Anyway, hope you all have a good day and I'll see you next time!**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

Artemis had found her way onto the roof, staring at the stars as she thought over Diana's stories. The heroine had sent her more stories through letters and even video chatted with her a handful of times which Artemis would never admit that she really enjoyed. Not to mention Superman, or Clark really, had sent her all kinds of interesting news articles. It reminded her of the time she spent on the watchtower, how the heroes actually seemed to like her and treated her well. A weak smile found it's way on her face as she recalled the package of Oreos delivered personally by the Green Martian.

She had been raised to hate them, yet all that anger seemed to fade out. She leaned back at against the slant on the roof, her stomach twisting. Guilt still shook her body, how she was lying to her mother and sister, how she was betraying them and everything she was raised to be. How angry her father would be if he knew. How hurt her mother would be. Artemis swallowed thickly at the memory of telling her mother goodbye. It had been easy to pump in the sleep drugs into the vents, when Artemis slipped in that night. Her mother would remember it as a dream.

" _I never wanted that, this life for you," her mother cried softly._

 _She brought her hands to cup her daughter's face, her touch so soft Artemis would have mistaken this as her dream. Paula's eyes were shimmering, tears falling down her cheeks as she struggled to get air into her lungs properly, Artemis could tell by the slight wheezing and shallowness of breath. Artemis had to wonder if this was hurting her mother more or if it would help her heal._

 _Artemis brought her hands to hold her mother's._

 _"I know momma," Artemis said softly, "But it's okay. I'll be happy where I am."_

 _Tears fell down her mother's cheeks, "I am so sorry I couldn't protect you."_

 _Artemis tried to smile, "You loved me and that was enough."_

 _Paula pulled Artemis into her arms, she hugged her as tightly as she possibly could. How could this be dream? Artemis just hugged her mother, she held back her tears and kept her breathing as even as possible. When they let go, Artemis would say goodbye and let her mother live with the idea that one of her daughters was happy._

Artemis sniffed as the memory faded, she wouldn't cry now for the loss. At least her mother was alive and believed that her daughter had finally found peace. That had to count for something right. Or maybe it didn't count for anything. That solidified to her mother that her second child was gone, Artemis didn't know how to feel about that. She just knew that it was better. Artemis leaned back against the roof, she tilted her head up to look at the stars as small tears fell down her cheeks.

"Any reason you decided to come up here," Roy asked making himself known.

Artemis released a sigh, "Go away Roy, I'm not in the mood."

Roy walked along the roof with ease, he slid down to her, "Too bad, I'm here now and took time out of my night to make sure you didn't run off. Least you could do is talk to me."

"Why," Artemis asked, she glanced at him, "I don't want to talk to you. Why don't you just go talk to Jade again. DId you ever tell her? OR is it just easy for you to lie?"

Roy tensed, "I haven't told her yet. She is making plans though to avenge you."

Artemis didn't reply, she just looked away to the ground below. Her sister was out there, trying to find a way to avenge her dead sister who was actually alive and well, or for the most part well. If Jade ever learned the truth, she would be furious. Why did it hurt so much? Artemis choked on air for a moment, struggling not to let her emotions get the better of her.

" _If you can't get a handle on your emotions," grunted Talia as she threw Artemis to the ground, "You have to channel them!"_

 _Artemis rolled out of the way of Talia's punch, terror pulsed through her veins. It was not a good training day for Artemis, her head wasn't in it and that was going to get her killed. Of course she already knew that, but Talia seemed to be fighting with a lot more ferocity than the seven year old had ever seen, it sent true fear into her._

 _"Fight back," screamed Talia grabbing Artemis' arm and yanking her to the side, "Use that fear and fight!"_

 _When Artemis landed, she knew that Talia dislocated her right shoulder. The pain was undeniable, it hurt so much that she wanted to cry, but she knew that would only piss of Talia more. The seven year struggled to get off the ground, she barely made it to her feet when Talia kicked her in the abdomen. Artemis landed harshly, she felt annoyed, but her fear overshadowed that frustration._

 _Artemis inhaled sharply as she rose to her feet, barely managing to get any air into her lungs when Talia grabbed her dislocated arm to hold her in the air. Artemis screamed, she couldn't hold it back. Her shoulder was on fire, black dots clouded her vision and she knew she wasn't going to be awake much longer. Not to mention all the trouble she would be in when she woke up._

 _She closed her eyes waiting for the final blow, but it didn't come. Instead she heard someone shout 'Enough' and she fell to the floor. Artemis forced her eyes to focus on the world around her when she saw it. It was her older sister standing in a protective stance in front of her hold dual blades in her hands._

 _"Get away from my sister," Jade shouted in a dangerous tone, "Stay away Talia, I will hurt you."_

 _"You've never bested me in a fight," Talia snarled._

 _Jade replied, "Maybe not, but with enough small hits, you'll go down."_

 _Artemis slipped in and out of conscious, occasionally hearing shouts and the sound of swords colliding. It was a blur, but the next thing she could distinctly make up was being picked up by Jade._

 _"Hang on Artemis," Jade said, "I've got you."_

Artemis said absently, "Jade would do that. We may not have been the closest siblings, but she was always looking out for me when no one else was. I miss her."

"I know she misses you too," Roy said softly, "I know it can't be easy."

"Weren't you the one who said I didn't know what suffering was," Artemis questioned dryly.

Roy licked his lips. He had told her many things like that, that she didn't know what true pain and suffering was. However he realized how wrong he was and knew that it wasn't right for him to treat the way he had been. Over time he had been nicer to her and was looking out for her more and more, but still it was not enough. He owed her an apology.

"I'm sorry," Roy said sitting by her, "For how I treated you before and for everything you're going through. You may be an assassin, but you're also a kid. You never should have grown up that way."

"I should have, it was my life," Artemis argued.

Roy shook his head, "Artemis, no. Don't tell me you believe that was the life you deserved? That, that the way you grew up was meant to be."

Artemis remained quiet.

"No," Roy told her, "That life is no way for a child, for any child to grow up. You have to know that kid. Being raised to fight and kill as your only purpose is wrong, they never should have done that to you or Jade or the other kid you talked about."

"Someone has to take over when the adults go," Artemis said simply, "I was going to be the one to take over the Shadows, I couldn't be weak. I had to be strong, I had to be the best. I know that."

"Get rid of that idea," Roy said sharply.

Artemis frowned, "Roy, it was my fault for not being enough, I should have done more to be better in the Shadows because it was my life-"

"Artemis listen to me," Roy said earnestly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and locked his gaze with her own, "You are a child. You have seen things, done things and faced things no child should have to. I am so sorry that was how you grew up, but you must know, you have to know that they were wrong to do that to you. It was never your fault. It was all of theirs. I'm sorry for what I have done and for everything they did."

Artemis was incredibly uncomfortable with this whole thing. Not only was Roy acting weird, but she just didn't like what he was saying. How could it not be her fault? Wasn't that how children were meant to grow up, in the footsteps of their parents? Wasn't the childhood she had meant for her? She needed to change the topic or at least lighten.

Artemis glanced at Roy, "Should I be insulted or honored that you apologized?"

Roy could tell she was trying to change the conversation, so he replied lightly, "Honored, I never do it unless I mean it. Anything on your mind?"

"A bit of everything," Artemis said softly.

"Real helpful," Roy remarked dryly.

A small smile grew on Artemis' face, "I try."

"Well you don't have to talk if you don't want to, but you never know, it might help," Roy told her simply.

"Maybe," Artemis said.

"You nervous about school tomorrow," Roy asked, moving onto what he hoped was a lighter topic.

"I've handled worse, I think I can handle a first day of school," Artemis answered.

Roy raised an eyebrow, "You're scared aren't you?"

"Terrified," Artemis said, "Tell me to break into any secure facility, no problem. Go fight some Justice League member, sure. Go to school with people my age and blend in, no."

"School isn't that bad, you might like the structure of it," Roy said, "Besides, it gives you something else to do instead of training or bothering me."

Artemis laughed weakly, but didn't say anything.

Roy sighed, "Come on, you don't need to sit out here and think of how nervous you are. Let's have some hot chocolate, then go to sleep."

Roy stood up and extended his hand to her. For a moment, Artemis just looked at it and didn't make a move to take hold of his hand. It seemed like forever, but eventually the preteen girl grabbed a hold of his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"Race you around the roof, first one back here has to make the hot chocolate," Roy challenged.

Artemis smirked, "You're on."

* * *

The first day of school came all too quickly for Artemis. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. For her entire life, all her time was spent on training and learning all the ways to kill someone, learning all the ways to become a ruthless villain. It was her lot in life. It wasn't all terrible, sure she had some fun moments that made her smile, but it was hell that she knew was not something a child should have to endure. Recognizing that had been the weirdest part for her and even more unnerving was the fact that it was _Roy_ who helped her understand.

Lying awake in her dark bedroom, still another hour or so until she would have to get ready for the first day of middle school, she thought back to her talk with Roy. It did help her more than she thought it would, but she was glad for it. Not that she would ever tell him she was glad he talked to her and raced around the roof three times with her.

The sun came up, her alarm went off and she could smell Dinah's waffles. It was almost time to go.

Artemis put on the uniform with relative ease, she brushed her blonde hair back into a ponytail and stared at her reflection. The plaid skirt and navy blue blazer over the white oxford shirt and vest was weird to see on her. Honestly it was like she was looking into a window to another universe, another life where this was who she truly was.

Artemis swallowed thickly, "Okay, you can do this. Come on, let's go."


	12. Chapter 12: Pt 1

**A/N: No secret, I hate posting short chapters, but I needed to share a message and I don't like those chapters that aren't really chapters, but just author's notes. So short chapter here and this message.**

 **As I mentioned in the last author's note, I wanted the story to alternate more between the past of Artemis growing with the league and her time with the Young Justice team, but I think I'm going to hold off on that until I either bite the bullet and get the DC streaming site or find it elsewhere. The message here is pretty much just letting you guys know that this story will focus more on the build up to her going to join YJ instead of it alternating like I originally planned. Apologies to those who wanted to see the back and forth and congrats to those who weren't a fan of the idea. Either way, hope you guys enjoy this little jump to see that Artemis in the future is just fine. However leading up this is not going to be the best of experiences for her, a lot of good and a whole lot of bad.**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve (Years later)**

"This is stupid."

"It's just an introduction video Art, just do it."

Artemis groaned in her mattress. Apparently someone thought video logging would be a good idea for all members of Justice League, specifically the junior members, to do after their missions and other assignments. They were supposed to do two of them actually, one was the mission report where they strictly talk about the mission, what happened, who was there, what they did, if they were successful, etc. etc. That part didn't bother Artemis at all, she thought it was a good idea. However it was the second video that was annoying.

The second video was meant to be more personal and reflective on the mission, how the individual was feeling based off what they had seen and done. Every member who had a 'sidekick' or mentee was pushing for them to do it. Most just did it to keep their mentor off their back, a handful were actually invested in it. Green Arrow certainly liked the idea and pushed it onto his sidekicks as well. He claimed it would be therapeutic for them.

Robin had been an advocate for it, which Artemis had been surprised by. She didn't think it was something he would go for, but Robin seemed interested in it while Batman had been silent on it, claiming there were more important things to be concerned about that 'journaling' which Artemis agreed with. Most people were afraid to go against Batman, even the leaguers considered his friends, but the original founding members could get away with pushing their agenda's and Batman usually let them. This was something small, so he didn't particularly care for it until Robin became invested.

Originally everyone just did it after missions, mostly to reflect on it and what happened, but never did introductions which is where Robin played a large part in along with Oliver who was backing him up. Roy ended up being suckered into it as well though he had yet to do his own introductory video. When Oliver learned that they hadn't done an introduction video, he all but demanded that they do it as soon as possible much to Artemis' annoyance.

Roy swiveled his chair around to look at Artemis on her bed with a pointed look, "Granted it's cliche and kind of lame, but necessary just the same. Come on, just do it for dear ole dad's sake."

Artemis scoffed, but a genuine smile formed on her face, "Isn't he worried that it will get hacked or something and then our identities are compromised? You know, that is something we have to be concerned about and these videos put us at risk."

"Well that's unfortunate _Thea Queen_ , ridiculous name by the way," Roy said grinning.

Artemis rolled her eyes. There were too many names to her, it was becoming harder to keep track of. However Thea Queen was a personal favorite of hers. The alias was the adopted daughter of Oliver and Dinah Queen and heir to Queen Industries. That had been decided in secret that Artemis would inherit the company, much to her surprise and excitement considering she figured it would go to Roy.

When she heard the news roughly three months ago, she had been overjoyed. Even though she never considered herself going to the business field of life, she had to admit the more Oliver told her about the corporate world, the more interested in it she became. Of course she could change her mind, Oliver made that incredibly clear that she wasn't locked into this which she appreciated. It was the same thing he had told Roy when he was officially adopted.

Roy wanted nothing to do with Queen Industries, absolutely basically denounced his claim to the throne, at least that was how Artemis liked to think of it. The prince didn't want to be king so his sister would be Queen. Roy found that comparison ridiculous.

"Well, it's better than being called Speedy," Artemis replied snickering.

Roy groaned, "What a dumb name. Speedy should have been KF's name instead."

"It would have made more sense," Artemis said with a nod, "I have to say I like mine though."

"I'm annoyed that your sidekick name is Artemis, that is your real name," Roy remarked bitterly.

Artemis could only smile, "Yeah well if people find out my secret identity, they will think my name is Thea instead. Artemis Crock is a forgotten memory."

"Funny how she's actually sitting across from me," Roy said, he turned his chair around, "From the top please. Recording."

Artemis groaned into her pillow before sitting up, "Fine, fine… Hello there stupid video log. My name is Thea Queen, formerly known as Artemis Crock. I used to be the heir to the League of Shadows, the daughter of Sportsmaster and Huntress. Now I am the adopted daughter of Oliver and Dinah Queen, heir to Queen Industries and one day will take the mantle of Green Arrow after Roy Harper-"

"Wait, no start again," Roy said interrupting her.

"Are you serious, why," Artemis asked sliding off the bed.

"Because I'm not taking up the mantle of Green Arrow unless I absolutely have to," Roy said simply, "I told you, I'm going to become Red Arrow and you'll be Green Arrow."

Artemis chuckled, "Right and we'll be the Christmas arrows."

"At least in winter we'll be in season," Roy commented, "Now again, from the top."

"Isn't it dangerous to use our secret identities in this video," Artemis asked with a frown, "No one knows mine or Robin's."

Roy looked at her thoughtfully for a minute, "Well the only ones who will see this video are the original members and they already know you so it should be fine. Again, from the top please."

Artemis shook her head, "No way dude. You have to meet Oliver soon for a mission. Besides, today is the big day you get to see the Justice League headquarters, the next step to becoming Official members. Aren't you the least bit excited about that?"

"I'm actually offended they didn't invite you," Roy said with a frown ignoring her question.

Artemis looked down at the charm bracelet that Gotham knight had given her those years ago. Even though it had been deactivated for awhile now, she never took it off. It was the next best thing she had to hold onto since Cheshire still had her arrow necklace. A pain went through her heart at the thought of her older sister, the next heir to the League of Shadows.

It didn't bother Artemis that she no longer held that title, but that Jade would actually take it. After all, her sister hated the Shadows and didn't actually want to be involved with them in such a big way. She knew something must have happened, but could never ask.

Over the years since Artemis was brought to the Justice League, she asked, begged and pleaded with the members to allow her a chance to tell Jade the truth, but each time she was denied. Artemis knew if she wanted to send a message to Jade on her own, she could have. The problem there was whether or not Jade would tell anyone else that information. Even though Artemis was certain that Jade would keep the secret, she had to wonder that it may not be true anymore. Jade swore she would take on any title in the Shadows and now, now she was their heir. Not to mention her time in the criminal arena had near tripled since Artemis' death.

Artemis hated it, she wished her sister was here.

She looked back at Roy remembering the original point of the conversation.

Oliver wasn't inviting her to take the next step to becoming an official member by bringing her to the watch tower, considering it was the fake one. Roy assumed they would go to the Hall of Justice then to the watchtower, but Artemis knew that wasn't the case. No one else besides official members knew it's location, except Artemis who had been a prisoner there. Oliver and Dinah decided against including her because it wouldn't matter, she already knew her place here and where she would go. If anything, this was a publicity stunt.

"I'm okay with it," Artemis said finding Roy's gaze, "I have a home here and that's enough for me."

Roy put his hand on her shoulder, "Always little sister."

It was funny thing time, to see how far they had come and how close they were too each other now. The beginning of their relationship had started out in a less than pleasant way, but now they were close as real siblings and friends. Roy still remembered his first impression of her and compared it to the girl he knew now. During her first days, weeks here even, he despised her and wanted her gone, but now, he couldn't imagine having a better sister and friend.

They had been through so much since she came here as a twelve, barely thirteen year old kid. Now here she was, sixteen and the strongest she had ever been which filled Roy with more pride than he could ever admit to her face. After all, he still had a reputation to up hold and couldn't have anyone thinking he'd gone soft.

"You've grown up a lot in good ways, I'm proud of you," Roy said grinning.

Artemis fake coughed, "I'm allergic to mushiness."

Roy shoved her playfully, "Whatever. I'll see you and Dinah later for pizza night."

Artemis nodded, "Have fun out there. Tell Robin I said hi."

"Awe, no message for Aqualad or KF," Roy asked, his tone a mix between teasing and serious.

The teasing was meant for the reference to KF. Out of everyone, she seemed to hate him or at least strongly dislike him for no apparent reason. Well that wasn't entirely true considering Kid Flash could be immature and didin't understand the concept of being serious majority of the time, unless the situation was extremely dire or matters regarding life and death. Roy figured that might have been why Artemis didn't like interacting with him. He knew KF wasn't her biggest fan either considering how serious she took everything with wise cracks mixed in.

Then there was the issue with Aqualad that was incredibly difficult for Artemis to talk about or deal with. A year or so after her arrival, when she officially became a side kick to Green Arrow, she had her first encounter with Aqualad. He reminded her of someone she lost, a close friend of hers and someone she had even looked up only for him to be killed at a too young age. However that wasn't entirely true, she didn't know this, but ROy couldn't tell her. He promised his friend.

Artemis shrugged, "You can tell them each I said hi if you really want to. Now get out of here, you're already late as it is. Today is the day."

Roy nodded, he wouldn't press, "It is. I'll see you later."

Artemis watched him go with a somber expression. She hoped everything would go well for him and the others today, but for some reason she had a bad feeling. Though she quickly shook it from her mind, everything would be just fine and she would hear Roy talk all about it tonight over pizza and movie.

It was still fairly early in the day, all of her homework had been completed, so she wasn't sure exactly what she should do with her time. Though her grey eyes found the camera Roy had set up still in place.

Artemis sighed, she set up the camera again and hit record, "Well, here's another go at it. I hope you're happy about this Robin and Green Arrow, cause I'm not. Anyway, here goes nothing..."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Not too much happening this chapter, but something very important does happen this chapter that has me really excited because then I can play around with it as much as I want. Hope you guys enjoy! ;)**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

The first few weeks of Artemis in school had been pretty good. Originally she thought it would be better to hide in the background and just coast along, but the spotlight found her in a pleasant way. Some eighth grade boys were picking on this kid during gym class, her favorite class, about the rope challenge. The kid couldn't climb up the rope, so they were giving him a hard time until Artemis told them where to shove it.

One thing lead to another, Artemis beat the school record for rope climbing, made a new friend or friends really, got into her first school fight and became fairly popular among the seventh graders. The guys thought she was cool, the girls were impressed, all the cliques were paying attention to her and no longer in the 'oh it's a new kid' kind of way.

Though Dinah had been angry about Artemis getting into a fight, she had been proud and didn't give her a harsh punishment. Oliver had high fived her while Roy didn't comment much on it. It wasn't until the end of October that things started happening in the League. Criminal activity had spiked, the League was busy with attack after attack after attack. Every league member was out in the field often, stopping their old enemies, new enemies and just more crimes that local police departments weren't equipped to handle.

Only the founding members of the League, with the exception of Roy, knew who was behind the attacks. The League of Shadows was under new management. Roy had met with Jade weeks ago, though her appearance looked more like he was used to, he could tell by the hitch in her breath and anger in her eyes that she was now the heir to the Shadows and was ready to strike. And to his complete surprise, she was now running the organization. She didn't tell him anything, only that he should watch his back.

" _I'd hate if something happened to your pretty face."_ Was all she said.

Now that Halloween was just around the corner, he knew something big was coming up. Cheshire loved Halloween, so Roy was certain she would do something during the season. As if all the other attacks were little ones and the grand finale was underway. It kept him on edge and tonight was no exception. Tonight was the fall dance for the middle school. Initially, Roy was going out on patrol, but decided to volunteer to help with set up and chaperone. It was also the first _real_ school sanctioned event Artemis had ever been to besides the pep rally in September, so Oliver was making him do it.

Not that Roy minded that much. Even though he knew the child assassin was doing well for herself, he was always a little worried something might happen to her. As bizarre as it was, he did care about her as if she were his own little sister and because he really owed it to Jade. They hadn't met up in awhile, another sign that she was up to something big and he knew he wouldn't like.

Roy released a heavy sigh from his spot against the bleachers, a glass of punch in his hand. The gymnasium had been decorated in the spirit of Halloween, with spiders, skeletons, mummies, pumpkins, bats and witches all over the place. Not to mention the middle schoolers came in costume, which Roy thought was kind of nice. He and the other chaperones, teachers and high schoolers, were encouraged to dress up as well, but he refused. A black tux was enough. Besides, he dressed up as Speedy every other day.

"Roy," called Artemis as she ran up to him with her group of friends.

Roy held back a groan, "Yes?"

Artemis stood in front of him dressed in an Alice in Wonderland costume. Why she chose to be Alice was beyond him. Even if it had been her code name with the Shadows, he thought it was ridiculous, but she didn't seem bothered by his remarks and put it on anyway. His gaze flickered over her costume, blue Alice dress with a matching headband. He then glanced at her friends, he saw Red Riding Hood, Batman, a Cowgirl, fairy and someone in a trenchcoat, though he had no idea who they were supposed to be.

"Do a one hand, handstand," Artemis told him.

Roy blinked, "What? Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just do it," Artemis said, she added after a moment, "Please."

Roy rolled his eyes. He put his glass down, did the one hand handstand causing all the middle schoolers to gasp in surprise and catch the attention of the chaperones. Once he was back on his feet, he saw the boy in the trenchcoat hand Artemis some cash. He didn't bother to ask her what that was about until all the other kids had run off back to the dance floor leaving her with him.

Drink in hand, he asked her, "So you're betting now?"

Artemis snickered, "Not exactly. When I was doing my one handstand on the dance floor, they didn't believe that you taught me how."

"I didn't teach you how," Roy said with a frown.

Artemis glanced at him, "While technically true, they said you couldn't do one so I bet thirty dollars you could and here we are now."

"Uh huh," Roy said before taking a sip, "Don't make a habit of it alright?"

Artemis slipped the money into her knee high sock, "You got it boss."

Without another word, she took off back to the dance floor where her friends were all crowded together. He watched her with a fond smile, glad to see her having fun and actually being a kid. During their training times together, it always baffled Roy how much of a fighter the Shadows had raised her to be. Whenever she learned something new about the world, say mac and cheese, it reminded him how isolated she had grown up along with being given the bare minimum when it came to pleasurable things. Sure, she was incredibly smart, but the things she didn't were so common to him. However he knew the reason why she never the small things, they were deemed unimportant to her training and when she was trained, then she could deal with the frivolous stuff.

"This is not where I thought you be on a Saturday night."

Roy became insanely stiff at the sound of her voice beside him. Icy terror went through him, she couldn't be here, she couldn't be here. Oh no.

"Jade," Roy said looking at her with barely contained surprise, "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."

Jade grinned at him, her eyes sparkling, "I was looking for you actually. You weren't on your usual patrol, got worried."

Roy forced himself to remain calm, "Well as you can see I'm just fine."

"A middle school dance sounds like torture, I thought I'd come rescue you," Jade said, her voice low and smile still present as she moved closer to him.

Roy was torn for a moment, but quickly made his decision. Sending Jade away would bring about suspicions, if he could leave with her and make sure both Crock sisters didn't notice the other, that would be great. Artemis would be fine on her own, but suddenly he remembered the other reason why he had to chaperone. Artemis' bracelet. She had a certain range in which a League member and Roy had to be near her. If Roy left, an alert would sound and eventually the bracelet would knock her out. If he was going to leave, he needed Oliver and DInah to get her fast.

"Definitely a rescue," Roy told her with a nod, "My shift is almost over, I'll see about getting out of here sooner and we can go have some fun. But you should wait outside, you'll get me in trouble."

"Or we could just leave now," Jade said with a tilt of her head.

Roy visibly hesitated, "You trying to get me in trouble here?"

She tsked, "A little trouble never hurt anyone. You can't seriously tell me you'd rather be here with a bunch of middle schoolers than-"

Jade paused mid sentence, her head whipped around at the sound of a girl's laughter. Roy could only freeze, though a muttered curse word left his lips. Not that Jade could hear him. No, her attention was elsewhere now looking for the source of that laugh. She stepped away from Roy when her eyes found the source. A hand wrapped around her wrist, Roy's voice saying something about getting out of here and get into some trouble were drowned out by the music and the laughter.

It had been half a year give or take a week or so, it had been even longer since that laugh had been heard and it never sounded so light. Jade couldn't believe her eyes. There in the center of the crowded gym of this prep middle school was a young girl with blonde hair that could be as wild as Jade's. It was pulled back in a half up half down style, a blue headband on her head to match the dress she wore.

 _I can't use my own name, so if you get to Cheshire then I get to be Alice._

The young girl spun around with a boy dressed as Batman, Jade could hear their laughter from her spot and through the music. The girl's laugh was too similar, it was a little raspier than she remembered, but it was the same one she knew from a dead girl. Suddenly, Jade was being pulled out of the crowded gym and she lost sight of the girl dressed as Alice.

It couldn't have been real. She had hallucinated her sister before, surely that's what that had been? Jade yanked her arm free from Roy's grasp when she gathered her sense. They were in the hallway now, away from the dance and the other chaperones. Jade glowered at Roy, anger pulsed through and she could feel her shoulders tremble.

"How dare you," Jade seethed.

Roy spoke, he reached for her wrist, "I can explain-"

Jade swatted his hand away. All she saw was red and slammed him into the lockers with every bit of strength she had, effectively knocking the wind out of him and catching him off guard. With a tight trip on his collar, she leaned close and dared him to move, dared him to fight. Her right index finger was very close to a certain pressure point that would render him conscious, he wouldn't risk her doing that until he had an opening. She wouldn't give it to him, not tonight.

" _You knew_ ," Jade hissed at him, "You knew all this time. That the league had her! That she was _alive_!"

"I was going to tell you one day," Roy said, he couldn't deny what she had seen.

"Shut up," she practically screeched.

Roy had seen her angry on a number of occasions, but the expression she wore with the tremble of her shoulders showed him a new kind of fury. Her brown eyes were shimmering, he noticed it after the tears had already started to slip down her cheeks. The iron grip she had on his collar lessened slightly, but he knew she wouldn't let go until she was done. He hoped she wouldn't knock him out and take Artemis, that would create so many problems that he didn't even want to consider happening.

"How could you," she asked with soft tone despite the anger in her words.

Her words caused him to identify the new emotion she was showing that he had never seen before. It was betrayal. Their friendship had been odd from the start, but they had formed a good relationship, a sense of trust that lead to something slightly more than a friend dynamic. She had trusted him, something she didn't give anyone else. Now Jade knew he had broken that trust the day she came to tell him the news of her sister being dead.

"There were too many risks," was all he could say, he knew it wasn't enough.

Jade's brows twitched as her eyes widened slightly, "You thought I would tell the Shadows."

"I had to consider the chance," Roy told her with an inhale, "Couldn't risk that you take her back to the Shadows."

Jade pulled him forward then slammed him back into the lockers, "She's my sister! I had the right to know she was alive. That you were watching over her. I should have known!"

Jade inhaled sharply, trying to get herself back together, but she couldn't fight the anger at Roy and the joy that her sister was alive. Artemis, her little sister was here. She didn't die that night.

"She's coming with me," Jade said releasing her grip on Roy, "We're leaving, going to start over somewhere no one will ever find us. Not the Shadows, not the League."

Roy grabbed her wrists, "No, she stays with us."

"You're not stopping me-"

"Artemis is better with us-"

"Don't you dare say what's better for her-"

"Jesus, listen to me-"

"I'm taking my sister away-"

"Or you could stay-"

"As if I'd join your scouts club-"

Roy released an aggravated sigh, "Either you stay with or you go, but Artemis is not going anywhere."

Jade leveled his gaze, she wasn't about to go down without a fight. Less than twenty minutes ago her sister was dead. She raised hell over the loss of the middle schooler dressed as Alice in the next room. The one person Jade knew she loved was here and she wouldn't, couldn't, leave without her.

Roy shut his eyes for a moment, if she wanted to leave with Artemis, she would find a way to do it and he didn't want that. He released her wrists, she didn't hide her surprise. He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out his wallet, she watched him with a frown, but said nothing about it. A moment later, there was a folded up photograph in his hand and he held it out to her.

Jade hesitantly took it from her, "What is this?"

"Artemis is happy here," Roy told her, he nodded to the picture.

Jade opened the photo to see Artemis sitting on a black floor dressed in work out clothing beside a woman and a man standing behind them. All three of them were laughing, their smiles so wide and eyes sparkling. Based on the equipment behind them, she guessed it was a gym of somekind.

"She wanted to tell you, to send you a message that she was alive and happy here," Roy told her, his tone heavy, "She barely got the chance to see your mother. Artemis has built a life without crime, without the pressure of the Shadows, without the fear and the baggage."

Jade could only stare at the picture in her hands. Despite the distance that had formed between the two of them over the years, Jade knew Artemis better than anyone. In this picture, in this snippet of time, she could feel how happy her sister was. Never had Artemis' body language looked so relaxed or her smile so big. She looked like a pre-teen enjoying the day with her parents. In another life, that was probably true.

"Don't take this from her," Roy said after a moment of silence, "Join her. She'd be thrilled to have you with us."

Jade's throat was dry, she put the picture back in his hand, "Someone has to take care of the Shadows."

"Jade-"

"I wasn't here," Jade said, her voice shook just barely, "Her secret is safe. I've still got a job to do, but I'll make sure the Shadows never find out. You protect her alright. Watch her back the way I never could."

Jade took off down the hall. Roy wanted to run after her, he wanted to stop her, but he was rooted in his spot. After several minutes of standing there, the picture heavy in his hand did he finally return to the gym. He went back to his spot in the corner, he said nothing the rest of the night. Jade weighed heavily on his mind, worry had set in, but he believed her words that she wouldn't tell the Shadows. However he still worried.

When the dance finally ended, Roy listened to Artemis chatter about the night and how she had a good time. As it turned out, being a regular middle school girl had some perks. The whole time, Roy knew he made the right choice in the beginning to not tell Jade about Artemis. If Jade had known Artemis was alive sooner, she likely would have just taken her away and disappeared into the night. Now that Jade knew that Artemis was okay, she had a reason to let her remain.

Roy pulled into the driveway and didn't immediately exit the car. In his rearview mirror, he caught sight of movement in the treeline though the censor never went off to indicate someone was there. He exited the car and looked in the distance, his eyes searching for the movement again. There was nothing there and though he wanted to believe it was just a trick of his mind, he had a feeling he knew exactly who was out there. He turned away and started walking up to the house.

"Roy, are you okay," Artemis asked as they walked up to Queen manor, "You seem distracted."

Roy nodded absently, "Yeah, yeah just fine."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Now here is where some big changes happen with Artemis, the plot will really start to take off from here.**

 **Summary: Artemis Crock, sister to the notorious assassin Cheshire, daughter of the ruthless Sportsmaster and merciless Huntress. She was raised in the League of Shadows, groomed to become the killers like her relatives, but she didn't want that, not really. When the Justice League catches her, the Green Arrow offers her something she can't refuse. A chance at freedom. AU**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Artemis was terrified and she wasn't terrified often. Oliver and Roy had gone on a mission, pretty standard one actually as far as she knew. However, something went is where the terrified part came in. Green Arrow failed to signal that things were clear, Speedy didn't say anything either. Even though Artemis wouldn't have been in the Arrow cave when they signaled, she would have gotten an alert on her communicator. She was waiting up for them to return.

Initially Artemis had been asleep in her room, but was restless when she didn't hear Oliver or Roy. Sure they had signaled late before, apologizing then receiving an earful from Dinah, but this seemed different. The thirteen year old sat up in bed with a mournful expression, she glanced at her communicator and forced her heartbeat to slow down. Deciding that sitting up in the dark wouldn't put her to sleep sooner, she got out of bed and wandered down to the cave to see Dinah.

Artemis walked down the stairs slowly, watching as Dinah stared intently at the large computer screens and typing furiously on the keyboard. Over these past few months, Artemis had seen each of them leave on missions where things went perfectly or went terribly. How Roy came back covered in bruises and a dislocated shoulder. Or how Oliver came back without a scratch, but no communication meant they had no idea if he was okay.

In truth it shouldn't have bothered Artemis as much as it did now. After all, when Jade spent days away without saying anything she hardly worried. Though that was because she never would dare to think of her sister being gone and her training kept her busy enough that she could never dwell on the idea of Jade not returning. The thought of Jade made Artemis want to disappear, but she forced herself to keep walking through this dark and empty house.

Dinah was down in the basement still she knew and that was exactly where she needed to go to see what was keeping Oliver and Roy. She hoped they were already down there and her fears were nothing more than childish. She felt her stomach twist into knots watching Dinah stand there alone in front of the monitor, as she heard only the low beeping and no chatter from the men of the house.

They needed to come back, she needed them to get back here so she could apologize, so she could take back the words she hadn't meant. Earlier in the day, Artemis had gotten into a bad fight with Oliver. Fights weren't that common between Artemis and the rest of the family here, but they did happen on occasion. Today, she had taken it too far.

" _Shut up," Artemis screamed at the top of her lungs, she shoved Oliver's hands away from her, "I hate you! It's all your fault! I hate you!"_

 _Oliver stared at Artemis in shock and an expression of hurt on his face. But this went in ignored by the sobbing thirteen year old girl before him. All Artemis could think of was the fact that no one in this house, especially Oliver, we're denying Artemis the chance to send a message to Jade. Artemis knew that her sister wasn't far away, that she could send a signal of some kind to her and that would be fine._

 _It was Jade's birthday! Artemis had wanted to tell Jade she was alive ages ago, or send some kind of sign to let the older girl know that she was alright. Roy got to see her sister every other week, but never told Jade that she was alive, never told her that her sister was okay. Artemis didn't want to think that Jade knew and just never did anything about it, she knew for sure that Jade was in the dark._

 _The problem with that was Artemis didn't want her sister in the dark anymore, she missed her sister so much. Even though their relationship was far from perfect, even if they fought and hardly spent normal time together, Artemis loved the older girl and would have done anything to see her in person again. She just wanted to send her a sign, to send her something. Oliver was in her way, he was always in her way._

 _Roy stepped closer, "Arty- listen-"_

 _"You get to see her all the time and it's not fair," Artemis yelled at Roy, tears streaming down her face._

 _Oliver tried to put his hand on Artemis' shoulder, "Artemis, you need to calm down."_

 _Artemis pushed him away, her yell sounded more like a sob_ _, "You did this! If you hadn't talked to me, if the stupid league hadn't sent us there and your stupid league hadn't stopped us, I would be with Jade. But no, no she's not here- it's your fault! I wish you had never brought me here! I hate you Oliver, I hate you!"_

 _Artemis shoved past the man, she raced up to her room and slammed the door hard enough for it to echo throughout the home._

Artemis stared at her sock covered feet as she walked down the stairs, the memory causing her eyes to burn. There was so much she shouldn't have said and most of it she didn't really mean. She had been angry, she hadn't been thinking clearly and the words had tumbled out. Oliver hadn't said anything as she stormed away, he didn't even say bye when he left to go on the mission like he usually did.

That's how she knew he was really upset. And now he still wasn't home. The idea of that being her last conversation with the man she saw a father/uncle figure made her want to cry. Artemis spotted Dinah still dressed her in pajamas standing before the monitors. Neither Roy nor Oliver were in sight, they weren't here.

"Dinah," Artemis said as she walked over to the woman, arms around her stomach, "Have you heard anything?"

Dinah glanced over her shoulder, "No honey, I'm sorry. What are you doing up so late? You have school tomorrow."

"I'm worried about them," Artemis admitted softly, "What if something bad happened? What if they're hurt and can't contact us? Or what if-"

"No benefit in thinking the worst has happened," Dinah told her seriously.

Artemis turned her gaze up to the monitor, "I can't help it."

Dinah placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder, offering a sense of reassurance. The mission of Roy and Oliver was to take a trip to North Rhelasia, check out what was going on with Luthor and his dealing with the place. Ever since their departure, things had been running smoothly until Oliver failed to check in at around midnight. Dinah didn't like to assume the worst had happened, but she was definitely not going to eliminate the possibility of something bad happening to them.

As time ticked by, she felt the urge to start heading out there and see what was going on. However what kept her in place was Artemis. While Oliver didn't think anything bad would happen, he practically begged Dinah to remain here with Artemis. It was more of a safety precaution, but it was one Dinah understood fully. Artemis could handle herself and with the extension placed on her charm bracelet, Dinah would have been able to leave her in the house by herself, but that lead to other problems.

Mainly if Oliver, Roy and then Dinah not returning. As much as Dinah hated it, she knew it was always a possibility that there could be a mission and it go wrong that they leave Artemis alone. It was the reason why one of them always had to stay back with her. If Dinah and Roy went out, Oliver stayed. If Oliver and Dinah left, Roy had to stay. If Oliver and Roy left, Dinah had to stay. Artemis didn't know about this arrangement, she knew someone from the league had to stay with her due her security bracelet, but there was more to it they didn't say. Leaving Artemis without anyone was not an option, so Dinah knew she had to stay until she couldn't anymore.

Superman had gone out to North Rhelasia along with Flash when Dinah told them about Arrow's silence. But they hadn't told her anything either. It was driving Dinah crazy to wait around like this. She could tell by the nervousness radiating off of Artemis that she couldn't wait around like this either. The older woman looked down at her ward with a sorrowful gaze. The two of them couldn't sit around waiting, hours had passed and there was still no sign of them. There were only two reasons they wouldn't have sent a signal, they had to go dark or they were captured. A third idea was sitting in the back of her mind, but she refused to let it come out to the surface.

"What do we do," Artemis asked after a few moments of silence.

Dinah inhaled deeply, "I sent Superman and Flash out there to check up on them, to see what was going on. It could just be that Oliver and Roy had to go dark."

Artemis frowned, "But they would have said something right? Sent a quick message to let you know."

"That's usually the case, but things happen and circumstances change," Dinah told her.

Artemis didn't know what to say next, so she opted to stay quiet as Dinah got back to work. There was nothing she could do. The only thing she could think to do was for them to go out there and find them, bring their guys home. As the silence went on, Artemis thought nothing else would be seen, but then a siren filled their ears with flashing lights overhead. Artemis had no idea what this meant, but judging by Dinah's expression, it wasn't good. The monitor lit up like a christmas tree, an alarm and code that Dinah knew meant they were in serious trouble.

"Stay here, I'll handle this," Dinah said sharply as she stepped away from the consul.

"Wait," Artemis said grabbing Dinah's wrist.

"You need to watch for mods signals and be prepared to contact other leaguers in the area," Dinah order sharply.

Artemis stared up at Dinah, she nodded, "I-I. Okay. Do you think they're hurt?"

Dinah inhaled quickly, "I can't be sure. I'll report back as soon as I-"

A thought struck Dinah as she looked down Artemis. It was crazy and would certainly be better if Artemis remained back here, hidden and able to send a message to others. Though Dinah knew she could do that while out there. The older woman but her lip as she studied the preteen dressed in pale blue pajamas, her blonde hair tied into a loose ponytail. Dinah released a sigh.

She bent forward, placed a hand on Artemis' shoulder, "Could you handle joining me on this mission?"

Artemis blinked in surprise, "I-I, yes. I could handle it. Do you really want me there?"

"I could use your help, especially if the boys are in trouble," Dinah said with a slight smile, "Come on, let's get dressed."

Artemis frowned, "Wait Dinah, I don't have anything-"

"Just follow me."

* * *

 **A few hours later**

* * *

Oliver was devastated, he was so devastated. None of this should have happened, he shouldn't have let Roy go down there. He should have stopped him, they should have stuck together instead of splitting up and this disaster happening. Now he was trapped under a collapsed building, no way to get out or call for help with no idea where Roy was. If the teen was okay or gone. Luthor was up to something big, something horrible and he did not want anyone to find exactly what it was.

The bald man had been here for a few moments, but quickly fled the area. Oliver had seen Superman and Flash arrive right before the building fell on him. He just told them to go after Luthor, to find Roy, leave him here. And if they didn't go after Roy, he'd never forgive them for it. He'd never forgive himself for this. Even though Roy was capable of looking after himself, it was still his job to protect the teen. To watch out for him. That was his purpose as a guardian and mentor, but tonight he failed. Roy was out there, captured and he was stuck here, under a collapsed building.

"Ollie!"

The voice was muffled, but he knew the owner. Oliver lifted his head slightly to see a small opening not too far away that hadn't been there before. Some light streamed in from that small hole, followed by the cries of a child's voice.

"Ollie! Please answer me!"

What was she doing here? She shouldn't be here. Oliver pushed himself with a painful groan, his right shoulder was killing him and he could hardly put any weight on it. However he had to get up, he had to get out of here, he had to let her know he was here.

"Oliver! Ollie! Where are you?!"

"Here," he called rasply, "I'm down here."

He fell back onto the ground with a heavy breath, he didn't have the strength in him to get up. Darkness claimed him for a minute or more, but when his eyes opened again he was greeted by the sight of a thirteen year old girl dressed in green pants, a sleeveless shirt and green mask to cover her face running over to him.

Artemis.

She was wearing the outfit they designed for her, the one she would wear when she was ready to take on the mantle of sidekick. Oliver had wanted to give it to her for Christmas, but that was still some days away. As he watched her make her way down the debris, he felt his heart clench at he realization of Dinah bringing her here. It meant that the situation was worse than he thought if Dinah brought her along.

Artemis fell to her knees next to him, her entire body trembling as she stared at him. Though she was relieved to see him conscious, the weight from the idea of not knowing whether or not he survived hit her at full force. During the fight on the way in, she couldn't focus on if he was alive, only getting through the doors. And now that she was through the doors, all the emotions had come crashing down over her.

"Oh Ollie," Artemis sobbed out as she stared at him with terror, tears soaking the mask.

Oliver focused his gaze onto her, "Hey, hey. It's alright."

"I'm, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Artemis cried to him, hunched over as her shoulders shook, "I didn't mean what I, what I said before. I, I don't hate you. I-I I'm so glad you, you talked to me that, that day."

Oliver forced himself to turn on his side, he lifted his arm and placed his hand on her cheek, "Shh, it's okay. I know."

Artemis' shoulders shook with each sob, "I'm so sorry."

Artemis pressed her face onto his chest for a moment, gripping his shirt tightly in her fists trying to ground herself in reality. The reality that he was alive, that he was still here. Dinah hadn't wanted to leave Artemis here to search the area for Oliver or Roy, for fear that the young girl would find a body, but it had to be done. Artemis had been terrified that she would find a lifeless corpse, but she was so relieved to see he was alive.

Oliver forced his arm to move, to wrap around Artemis' back and offer her any kind of support in this moment. As he held the distraught girl, he realized that he could not under any circumstance let something like this happen to her. Roy, he had failed Roy and would do everything in his power to find him. He couldn't fail Artemis to, he couldn't fail her.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered to her, "I promise, it's going to be okay."

Artemis pulled away slightly, she nodded and took a deep breath. Without another moment of delay, she pulled out her communicator and got Dinah back on the phone. Oliver tried to stay awake, but the darkness called him and he was too exhausted not to answer.


End file.
